For the past three weeks, a video of Michael Cera has been circulating online, claiming that he is the founder of the skin care brand CeraVe.
Michael Cera. Serave. get it?
In late January, paparazzi photos of Mr. Cera dragging a giant bag of CeraVe around New York City were published in Page Six and People magazines. The same week, Mr. Serra was also seen handing out moisturizers to pedestrians and signing CeraVe bottles at the Eurochemist pharmacy in Brooklyn.
Influencers such as Kirby Johnson and Hailey Khalil were paid as part of a marketing campaign to post content speculating about a potential partnership between the brand and the actor. During a promotional video with “The Really Good Podcast” host Bobby Althoff on his YouTube video, Mr. Cera was asked about his relationship with CeraVe, and he theatrically walked away from the interview.
This is all part of a super meta, multi-pronged marketing campaign that CeraVe has been rolling out layer by layer over the course of several weeks, culminating in its first Super Bowl commercial. This is perhaps an unexpected development for a brand that has been a quiet drugstore favorite for years, and for its star Mr. Cera, who rarely collaborates with brands. He's also a rather unlikely and memorable beauty ambassador in an industry crowded with celebrity skincare products.
“So, my name is Cera. So this is the perfect crossover opportunity,” Cera said of the boardroom pitch in a 30-second spot on CeraVe, scheduled to air during the first quarter of the game. I said this with a deadpan expression in the scene I drew.
Only in the final seconds of the ad, a version of which was reviewed by the New York Times, did the dermatologist reveal that CeraVe was not developed in collaboration with Mr. Cera.
This commercial suggests in another way that the claims are fanciful. Serra is sometimes photographed with the drama, sensuality and dreamlike quality of '90s perfume ads, right down to the male model flanked.
“Human skin is my passion,” Serra says at the beginning of the spot, in which he climbs a mountain and then appears in a boardroom filled with doctors in suits and white coats. An expanded version of this ad also features a talking narwhal.
As a joke, but part of the ruse, CeraVe is also responding to speculation that Mr. Cera helped found CeraVe and keep the campaign viral without unduly misleading consumers. “CeraVe has been and continues to be developed in collaboration with dermatologists,” the brand posted on its social media channels last week.
The campaign was developed by WPP, led by advertising agency Ogilvy North America, and the commercial was produced by Tim Heidecker and Eric Ware of Pretty Bird, the American comedy duo known as Tim & Eric, who pitched the project to Serra. Heim was the director.
“We knew the campaign depended on getting him,” said Charlotte Tunsil, Ogilvy's president of North American public affairs, social and influence. Although Tunsil described the project as “overreaching and chaotic,” Serra immediately agreed to join the campaign, she said.
Melanie Vidal, CeraVe's global brand general manager, noted that a Reddit thread has already made a connection between Cera and the obvious marketing crossover potential.
“Why isn't Michael Cera the spokesperson for CeraVe? One, it's a moisturizer that helps people look younger, and two, it's probably the youngest-looking man alive.” I read a Reddit post from 7 years ago. In another post from six years ago, he referred to the brand as “Michael Cerave.”
“There's an interesting juxtaposition between authentic medicalized skin care with doctor-assisted care and the love, admiration, and connection with everyday consumers that is happening primarily on social media,” said L'Oréal USA subsidiary. said CEO David Greenberg. Oréal acquired CeraVe in 2017.
CeraVe isn't the first beauty brand to advertise at the Super Bowl. Last year, Elf Cosmetics dominated the Super Bowl beauty conversation, starring Jennifer Coolidge in a commercial co-written with “White Lotus” creator Mike White. (This year, Elf is doing something similar, with actor Zach Woods, known for his roles on “Silicon Valley” and “The Office,” directing 30-second spots.) NYX Professional Makeup will also air its first Super Bowl commercial. on sunday.
Greenberg declined to say how much CeraVe paid for airtime during the big game, but Michael Duda, managing partner at consumer marketing and investment firm Blish, said that during the first quarter of the game, He said a 30-second spot costs about $7 million. , this does not include other costs such as production costs or Mr. Serra's fees.
A CeraVe spokesperson said Cera, who is not active on social media and does not own a smartphone, did not respond to a request for comment. So far, Serra has only partnered with one other brand: Uber Eats. This is the first time the actor is working with a beauty brand.
