CeraVe's Super Bowl Follow-Up is a Romcom Trailer With a Bizarre Twist, Directed by Erin Murray

CeraVe's Super Bowl Follow-Up is a Romcom Trailer With a Bizarre Twist, Directed by Erin Murray

Adweek, 12 April 2024

Like its viral campaign for the Big Game, the skin care brand leaned into entertainment and influencer activity in this unusual romantic comedy, the protagonist's true love is a bottle of moisturizer.

After its viral Super Bowl campaign featuring actor Michael Cera, skincare brand CeraVe is again blurring the lines between advertising and entertainment with a movie trailer for a romantic comedy.

The trailer previews a fake film, The One Under the Sun, that has all the makings of a Netflix romcom sensation, with a woman looking for love that is not just “another summer fling.” But the video instead spoofs tropes of the genre, revealing a matchmaker who’s actually a dermatologist. 

When the protagonist proclaims that she “met the one,” her true love turns out to be a bottle of moisturizer. She goes through all the highs and lows of new romance, including introducing her unexpected partner to friends and family, who reason that “at least she’s using protection.

The film, produced by agency 72andSunny, promotes CeraVe’s Facial Moisturizing SPF 30 lotion. With its bizarre twist, it continues tactics from the brand’s successful Super Bowl campaign.  One is the mix of entertainment with education. The ultimate goal of this romantic satire is to change people’s skin care routines, but to do that, the brand aimed to “transcend traditional advertising while tapping into the zeitgeist,” Adam Kornblum, senior vice president and global head of digital marketing for CeraVe, told ADWEEK.

“We want people to understand the importance of wearing SPF daily while laughing along with us as we weave together this lighthearted, romantic tale that we hope is as entertaining as it is educational,” Kornblum said. “Consumers are skipping ads now more than ever, and YouTube data told us that movie trailers have a higher consideration and watch-through rates over traditional ads—so we leaned in.” 

 

 

For example, some influencers posted double entendre-laden matchmaker videos between April 8 and 11. The film will premiere today (April 12) on the TikTok channel of dermatologist Dr. Wallace Nozile, who plays the matchmaker. Following the premiere, movie reviewers will post their reviews of CeraVe’s romcom on their channels. CeraVe is hoping its romcom spoof captivates viewers as much as its Super Bowl campaign, which “beat every KPI (key performance indicator) we set at the start,” Kornblum said. 

 

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