Scott Pilgrim vs. Skincare

When you think of an ad campaign for a skincare product, what do you picture? Bare-faced women smiling at the camera as they smooth products over their skin? Intermittent clips of the packaged product in front of a plain background? Soothing music behind a voiceover telling you just how effective the product is? Well, even if you said something different, I can almost guarantee it didn’t include a “little weirdo”—Allure’s words, not mine—whispering to “let [his] cream hydrate you.” Yet that’s precisely what CeraVe’s marketing team pictured for the company’s 2024 Super Bowl commercial. 

Actor Michael Cera is known for playing awkwardly funny characters in projects like Arrested Development, Superbad, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and his comically offbeat demeanor made another appearance for the skincare brand in their advertisement. But that wasn’t the extent of the campaign. While the commercial first aired on February 6 and again during the Super Bowl on February 11, Michael Cera’s involvement with the brand began a few weeks earlier. His first sighting was at a Brooklyn drugstore, where influencer Haley Kalil spotted him signing bottles of the brand’s products. He was later seen walking around Brooklyn carrying clear bags filled with the brand’s products. 

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At the time, these seemed to be candid sightings of Cera, and people began questioning the celeb’s strange actions. A few days after that, he appeared in an uncomfortably awkward interview with podcast host and influencer Bobbi Althoff, where he walked off set after being asked if he created CeraVe. The company then posted a statement on Instagram days later denying his involvement. While this should’ve cleared things up, it only added to the intrigue, providing viewers with more questions than answers.

CeraVe later revealed it had been behind the appearances the entire time. Each new sighting added to a growing sense of mystery. Videos about the appearances garnered millions of views. While some people may have speculated the brand’s involvement, the idea almost seemed too ridiculous to be true. Who would believe a notable skincare brand like CeraVe would do something as silly as creating a meme about its similarity to an actor’s last name? However, people failed to realize that’s exactly the kind of silliness Cera is known for. By playing into the actor’s popular persona, CeraVe was able to reach consumers in a new, unexpected way. While most skincare brands focus on a soothing, informational aesthetic for their campaigns, CeraVe did the opposite. It leaned into the quirky, silly side of the beloved actor, and despite the “candid” appearances being staged, the campaign still left viewers with an honest feeling of happiness. People felt good after watching the ad. After all, isn’t that what skincare is really about?