To launch its new Vitamin C serum, Neutrogena did something unexpected for the 94-year-old brand: It tapped 31-year-old Serena Kerrigan, social media’s self-proclaimed “Queen of Confidence,” to pen two steamy stories for a mini book called “Bank Your Glow.” They’re now available on Wattpad, the free online platform for sharing stories.
Of course, the project was backed by data and insights. For one, there are 4.7 billion views of the hashtag #SteamyBookTok on TikTok. What’s more, “if you indulge in passionate reads, [they] increase your heart circulation, heart rate and blood circulation,” explained Neha Minj, Neutrogena’s senior marketing director for face care, referencing a 2022 study. “It gives you that instant glow on your face, much like our vitamin C serum.”
Neutrogena’s new 15% Vitamin C Glow Serum, $19.50 on Amazon, is part of the brand’s year-old Collagen Bank franchise, which counts actor Hailee Steinfeld as its official face. The franchise launched last summer with the brand’s Collagen Bank Moisturizer and Collagen Bank Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Moisturizer. The collection represents Neutrogena’s attempt to win over Gen Zers who are looking to address “pre-aging” concerns. “Age prevention is the No. 1 concern that dermatologists hear from their patients who are in the age group of 20-30,” Minj said.
#BookTok, Minj noted, is very popular with Gen Z and millennial women, the targets for the Collagen Bank franchise.
Wattpad boasts over 90 million subscribers. Kerrigan started teasing her partnership with Neutrogena on August 2, and on Monday, August 4, the two released a short video depicting a portion of one of the stories, which is titled “No Pants. No Problem.” Kerrigan has 229,000 Instagram followers and 608,000 TikTok followers. Neutogena has 980,00 Instagram followers and 186,000 TikTok followers.
Of the campaign, Minj said, “It’s very important that, whenever we put a campaign out, it’s resonant, it’s breaking through, it’s unmissable. But it’s also critical that we delight the consumers and give them some moments of joy and fun.”
Kerrigan, true to her “Queen of Confidence” moniker, felt she was perfect for the assignment: “[Neutrogena was] like, ‘We really feel that if anyone can do this, it’s you.’ And they were right. I really love the idea of using storytelling as a vehicle to introduce a product to the world in a way that doesn’t feel like ‘Here, buy this,’ but more in this covert way of storytelling where we can evoke a feeling, versus [straight-up] consumerism,” she said. She noted that this campaign marks the first time she’s seen a brand employ the written word in marketing — a move she called “innovative and smart.”
Interestingly, when Kerrigan worked a mention of Neutrogena’s new serum into her story by name, the brand told her to remove it, she said. “I wrote, ‘She sees the Neutrogena serum,’ and they said, ‘Take out Neutrogena.’ I was like. ‘Fucking genius. There you go.’ People are going to know it’s a Neutrogena product. They’re going to understand the context of these stories. You don’t need to constantly shove it in the consumer’s face. Let them feel. The whole thing is that the serum makes you feel glowy and steamy and delicious and great about your skin and yourself. These stories should, too.”
The brand’s name is mentioned in the byline of the stories, as they are hosted on Neutrogena’s Wattpad profile, and a silhouette of the serum is featured in the cover art. The product is also seen across Kerrigan’s social media posts for the campaign.
It seems to be the summer of sex in the world of marketing. In July, Urban Decay debuted its “Battle the Bland” campaign starring adult film star Ari Kytsya. And just last week, the sex toy company Dame introduced “Toy Stories,” a book of erotica featuring stories centered around sex toys. On July 24, Harry Styles’s brand Pleasing launched a vibrator and lube alongside condoms produced in partnership with Planned Parenthood. And, of course, there’s the implicit sexuality of the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle campaign that has set the internet ablaze since its debut on July 23.
In addition to the social rollout of Kerrigan’s campaign, Neutrogena seeded its second-largest product mailer ever, to 2,300 creators, including nano- to mega-creators. The brand is engaging in paid partnerships with 54 creators, once again spanning from nano to mega, and in specialties including beauty, dermatologists, “skinfluencers,” comedy creators and #BookTok creators. Their content will live across TikTok and Instagram and is estimated to see 148.1 million Impressions. Neutrogena will also amplify the launch of the vitamin C campaign across Instagram and TikTok via paid promotion.
