CeraVe taught dermatology by planting a Michael Cera conspiracy

CeraVe was entering its first Super Bowl in a category crowded with celebrity spots and scientific skincare claims. Its core proof point, dermatologist development, was important but not naturally entertaining.

Ogilvy rewrote the launch as a conspiracy. In the month before the game, 450 influencers fueled speculation that Michael Cera had developed CeraVe; the brand and dermatologist influencers then publicly denied it, creating more debate.

The Super Bowl commercial resolved the joke by having dermatologists debunk Cera's claim. The One Club says the campaign reached 9 billion impressions before game day and later 30 billion earned impressions, with a 25% sales increase and a 1350% rise in searches for who developed CeraVe.

Turn the proof point into gossip

The campaign made the audience rehearse the brand name every time they repeated the rumor.

The celebrity was used as a wrong answer, so the final reveal reinforced the dermatologist answer.

Starting weeks before the Super Bowl meant the paid spot became a finale, not the opening act.

A dry credential can travel if the audience first wants to resolve a story; the correction can carry the brand truth.

The campaign made the 2024 Cannes Lions Titanium shortlist and won a 2024 One Show Gold Pencil in Health and Wellness. LLLLITL listed it among 20 Cannes Titanium shortlisted campaigns out of 200 entries.