The archive · Marketing & Growth · Marketing decision · 2024
CeraVe fakes a Michael Cera origin myth — 32B impressions, a Cannes Grand Prix
CeraVe planted a fake conspiracy that Michael Cera created the brand, let leaks and influencers spread it, then revealed dermatologists in its Super Bowl debut.
CeraVe
What it had to solve
CeraVe, America's most-recommended drugstore skincare brand, was built on 'developed with dermatologists' — but celebrity-endorsed rivals were drowning that message out. Its first Super Bowl had to make the heritage famous.
How it works
In early 2024, CeraVe faced a paradox: the drugstore skincare brand was built on being 'developed with dermatologists', yet the category conversation was owned by celebrity endorsements. For its first-ever Super Bowl appearance, Ogilvy PR New York decided the brand's advantage was its coincidental name-sake — and built an entire conspiracy around actor Michael Cera.
The campaign ran in three phases before game day. First came 'leaks': paparazzi photos of Cera with CeraVe products planted on Reddit and in the Daily Mail, an influencer video of him signing bottles, and cryptic 'bootleg' PR boxes. Then the joke escalated — Cera staged a walk-off from Bobbi Althoff's podcast and a public spat with dermatologist influencer Dr Shah, while CeraVe's own channels and a network of dermatologists 'fought back'. The Tim & Eric-directed Super Bowl ad was the reveal: Cera claims he founded the brand, and a boardroom of dermatologists calmly explains he did not.
The results blew past every target: 32 billion earned impressions versus a goal of 1 billion, more than 2,000 articles versus a goal of 50, the #1 share of voice on Super Bowl Sunday, 2.4x the engagement of every other health-and-beauty brand combined, and CeraVe's highest-ever moisturizer sales week. At Cannes Lions 2024 the work won the Social & Influencer Grand Prix plus two Gold Lions, and 'Michael CeraVe' was later named the #1 Halloween costume of 2024.
Why it lands
- The conspiracy was built so audiences spread it for the brand — leaks, podcasts and influencers made fans feel like detectives, not targets.
- Every plot twist carried the same product truth: dermatologists, not a celebrity, developed CeraVe.
- The Super Bowl ad was a payoff rather than a pitch, so a month of earned media made the spot itself a reveal.
- Earned-first spending meant scale came from participation: 32 billion impressions against a 1 billion goal.
- Making the actor unavailable on social media turned a limitation into mystery and authenticity.
What it did
Earned impressions hit 32 billion against a 1 billion goal, with 2,000+ articles (goal: 50), the #1 share of voice at the Super Bowl, 2.4x the engagement of all other health-and-beauty brands combined and CeraVe's biggest-ever moisturizer sales week. It won the Cannes Lions 2024 Social & Influencer Grand Prix plus two Gold Lions, and became the #1 Halloween costume of 2024.
What you can take
Make the commercial the punchline, not the pitch: if the story spreads before game day, the ad lands as a reveal — earned media does the selling and the product truth survives the joke.
Since then
CeraVe rode the momentum into a record Super Bowl week and kept the joke alive in culture: 'Michael CeraVe' was named the #1 Halloween costume by Good Housekeeping and even appeared as a Jeopardy! clue. The campaign won the Cannes Lions 2024 Grand Prix for Social & Influencer plus two Gold Lions, and became a fixture in award-show case studies at D&AD, The One Show and the Shorty Awards. For the industry it became the reference point for earned-first Super Bowl thinking — proof that a brand could spend its biggest moment on a punchline rather than a product pitch.
Sources
- Ogilvy Wins Grand Prix for CeraVe's 'Michael CeraVe' and JCDecaux's 'Meet Marina Prieto'
- CeraVe: Michael CeraVe — Shorty Awards entry
- Ogilvy wins Grand Prix for 'Michael CeraVe' campaign at Cannes Lions
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