For teens, acne is no laughing matter. But Droga5 figured it was worth shaking up a category that's traditionally brimming with confidence but very little comedy.
The New York agency's first commercial for the brand breaks today, and leans into the concept of reassurance rather than confidence. And instead of showing beaming, blemish-free models telling viewers they'll be popular, the 30-second spot simply and humorously suggests there's light at the end of the tunnel for those afflicted by adolescent problems—whether it's acne, or your mom barging in on you endlessly.
Check out the spot here:
"Someone once said laughter is the best medicine. While we're pretty sure they weren't talking about acne commercials, we figured it was as good an excuse as any to try to make a humorous one," Droga5 group creative director Tim Gordon tells Adweek.
"What teens really need is some reassurance and a laugh. Reassurance that acne isn't going to last. Reassurance they'll grow out of it. Reassurance they won't need acne cream forever. Reassurance that one day they'll be able to laugh at the volcanic zit they got just before prom."
The new tagline and brand platform is "Let's Be Clear," which doubles as a description of the product benefit and a promise of honesty in a category full of "models smiling way too happily at splashing water on their face," Gordon adds.
"Come on, nobody smiles that big washing their face, and we are also pretty sure acne face wash won't turn you into the next rock star," Gordon says. "So 'Let's Be Clear' about some stuff. Clearasil is an acne brand—we can't make you popular, but we can help clear up your acne because we don't want you to use us forever. In our new campaign, we have fun with this reassuring message to resonate with teens just like an older sibling would. Except instead of an actual older sibling, we have a weird yet relatable talking bottle in our TV spot. Other than that, totally the same."
The campaign will feature a mix of broadcast, digital, PR, social, point-of-sale and influencer marketing. The latter will include Grace Helbig as well as Rhett & Link through their daily morning talk show Good Mythical Morning.
CREDITS
Client: Clearasil/Reckitt Benckiser
Brand Director: Deb Ebile
Brand Manager: Elyse Goldweitz
Campaign: Let's Be Clear
Spot: "Interruption"
Agency: Droga5 New York
Creative Chairman: David Droga
Chief Creative Officer :Ted Royer
Group Creative Director: Tim Gordon
Senior Copywriter: Ryan Raab
Senior Art Director: Dan Kenneally
Chief Creation Officer: Sally-Ann Dale
Executive Producer: Adam Perloff
Global Chief Strategy Officer: Jonny Bauer
Strategy Director: Will Davie
Senior Strategist: Danielle Travers
Senior Data Strategist: Lily Ng
Head of Communications Strategy: Colleen Leddy
Communications Strategist: Bryn Little
Social Strategy Director: Tom Hyde
Senior Social Strategist: Calvin Stowell
Social Manager: Maureen O'Brien
Group Account Director: Olivia Legere
Account Director: Megan Gokey
Account Manager: Ashton Atlas
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Aaron Stoller
DOP: Bryan Newman
Executive Producer: Holly Vega
Producer: Mala Vasan
Editorial: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Erik Laroi
Assistant Editor: Brendan Hogan
Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
Postproduction: The Mission
Executive Producer: Mike Pardee
Producer: Ryan Meredith
Sound Design: The Ski Team
Sound Sound: Lounge
Mixer: Chris Afzal