Michael’s CeraVe
Bulchandani said that the Ogilvy network has close to 300 social, PR and influencer specialists, who are constantly scanning to find out what’s buzzing from consumers, and they helped in the idea for the Michael Cera CeraVe campaign.
The lead-up to the CeraVe in-game spot had not only teasers, but full back stories, and it all started on Reddit.
Bulchandini said that the idea and insight came from social listening from its internal team. From seven years ago, they found a comment on Reddit that asked if Michael Cera was behind the brand, which sparked the campaign, which actually started on Reddit as well.
From there, the agency and brand worked with Cera to create a bizarrely fun backstory that built on the concept of Cera being the brains and inspiration for the brand, and they got famed comedy duo Tim & Eric to direct the spot.
“The concept was very much something that Tim [Heidecker] and Eric [Wareheim] live for, which is ridiculous, juvenile wordplay. We had a lot of ads on our first sketch show, ‘Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job,’ that we loved, that simple thing of taking someone’s last name and making it into a product,” Wareheim told ADWEEK.
Wareheim said that he and Heidecker are friends with Cera, and the concept seemed like a perfect combo of brand and actor. He also praised Beresford-Hill and the team at Ogilvy for their creative work and for the respect the agency had for the duo’s creative process.
“All of us together, it was a team effort to make something special,” said Wareheim.
Cera also had respect for the process and the team.
“The basic pitch from Chris and the creative team was funny to me right from the start and felt very exciting. And then when we were lucky enough to get Tim and Eric on to direct, it felt like we had a wonderful opportunity to do something very, very, very stupid,” said Michael Cera.
The CeraVe ad shows how a Super Bowl campaign isn’t just a one-off ad; it’s an extended campaign. Ogilvy’s desire to show up in culture and big moments also involves creativity and impact.
“How do you continue to build the brand, how do you work in the intersections of culture of social and how do you launch something and then sustain it for months and months after not just, like, a big one-off moment?” asked Taylor.
Dove tackles girls’ sports
Rather than utilizing humor, the Dove “Hard Knocks” spot continues the brand’s body positivity messaging. It shows girls taking hard hits or falls in sports, to the tune of “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from Annie. The message shift exposes how girls drop out of sports because of low self-esteem associated with their bodies.
