Perhaps the most bizarre but honestly creative marketing campaign as of late? CeraVe! Or, actually, Michael Cera(Ve)! If you haven’t seen it on your FYP yet, let me explain this to you.
Somehow, out of random, my FYP was feeding me random videos of Michael Cera and influencers or creators I naturally follow. Likewise, on my Instagram, I saw photos of Cera holding bags of Cerave on someone’s IG Story who was also confused.
A few days later, my favorite creator, Kirbie Johnson, broke down the TEA on her Instagram, which happened to be ALL A SPONSORED AD.
Cue my actual shocked face.
This huge elaborate plan of plotting Micheal Cera as the brand ambassador and targeting specific creators who already naturally fit the niche or would be talking about the situation if it were real paid off in a big way. CeraVe was on the tip of everyone’s by the end of the week with genuine shock.
Here’s a breakdown of where he was spotted in the wild:
Haley Kalil (@haleyybaylee)
Someone run her her acting money. Haley coincidently ran into Michael Cera casually signing skincare bottles at her local pharmacy.
@haleyybaylee Guys run to this pharmacy in BK, I just saw MICHAEL CERA signing bottles!! 😳😳😳I’m a ceravepartner, and I’m asking @CeraVe what is going ON #nyc #fyp #celebritysighting
♬ original sound – haleyybaylee
Bobbi Althoff (@bobbialthoff)
Bobbi, a popular podcaster, might have met her match with the same deadpan energy as Michael Cera when she brought him on to determine whether he’s not the creator of CeraVe.
@bobbialthoff This week on The Really Good Podcast I interviewed the actor and maybe developer of CeraVe, Michael Cera @CeraVe #ceravepartner #michaelcerave
♬ original sound – Bobbi
Hannah Kosh (@hannahkosh)
Hannah, known to spill the tea, plays into all this, attempting to investigate further what was happening.
@hannahkosh Has Michael Cera been hiding something from us? @CeraVe #CeraVePartner
♬ original sound – Hannah
Kirbie Johnson (@kirbiejohnson)
Bringing it back, go, Kirbie. She was the one who debunked it for me and set the record straight about what the heck was going on.
@kirbiejohnson #MichaelCeraVe was not on my bingo card this year, but I love it tbh. Here’s what’s going on with Michael’s skincare obsession. #CeraVePartner @Cerave
♬ original sound – Kirbie Johnson
Did CeraVe have a well-executed plan? Absolutely.
Whoever thought of it, I want to give you an absolute colossal hug. Something so simple and niche became such a massive talk of the town and kept it on everyone’s mind. And to pair with Michael Cera, who made a bigger splash earlier last year in his role as Alan in Barbie, amongst many other iconic roles, they struck gold. He’s not just Alan. He’s Michael Cera(Ve), for crying out loud.
Note: Let’s give credit where credit is due. Although Michael Cera did not create the skincare brand CeraVe, please know it’s a product backed by actual dermatologists. Its website goes on to state (on the specific page titled, “Explore CeraVe Skincare – CeraVe vs. Michael Cera”):
At CeraVe, we work with dermatologists to develop our products and have done this since the brand was founded in 2005. Our formulations, ingredients, and even product ideas are developed with dermatologists. Developed with dermatologists is more than a line in our logo – it’s at the core of who we are and a crucial part of our brand DNA.
