America’s ready to head outdoors,
and traditional sunscreen brands are scrambling, looking to find new ways to distinguish themselves from the skincare brands that have taken over the SPF aisle.
The timing is deliberate, and
not just because it’s beach weather. With Mintel forecasting 6.7% growth in suncare over the next five years, there’s real money on the table — but traditional brands are under pressure
from dermatology-backed SPF products like CeraVe, La Roche-Posay, Neutrogena and Eucerin that continue to disrupt the aisle.
For Supergoop!, the focus is a campaign called “Summer of
Play,” supporting the Play line of products, designed for easy and on-the-go reapplication. Ads highlight a versatile lineup that includes mist, lotion, stick and face formats, all in
lightweight formulations with invisible finishes. The effort fits with the brand’s broader strategy, aiming to expand beyond traditional uses by incorporating products into everyday routines,
not just a day at the beach.
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The effort also includes expansion on Amazon with a dedicated storefront, as well as paid media, and plenty of creator content. In real life, Supergoop!
is looking to make new friends using a branded Target pop-up truck in key markets, as well as some coffee shop and bakery takeovers in summer destinations. The brand also partners with the PGA
Tour.
Coppertone, owned by Beiersdorf, is also in the sportive mode, carrying its partnership with Ilona Maher — pro rugby player and Coppertone Girl — into its second year. Ads focus on
Maher’s resilience and highlight Sport Spray SPF 50’s ability to withstand sweat, heat and water.
Edgewell’s Hawaiian Tropic is taking a flirtier approach, in a video campaign starring influencer Alix Earl as she camps her way through the 90’s classic, “I Touch Myself.” Themed
“Touch yourself and glow,” the company describes the campaign as a “love letter to the sun.”
“Hawaiian Tropic is all about helping you feel like your sexiest self
before, during and after your time in the sun. Application is usually considered a chore in an already clinical category, so we knew we could bring something fresh, fun and wholly Hawaiian Tropic to
the table,” said Veronique Mura, general manager and senior vice president at Edgewell Personal Care, in the release.
BBH created the campaign, which is running on social media, and — in a
first for the brand — includes a partnership with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Earl, along with choreographer Lucas Debiasi, will also be launching a dance tutorial so viewers can recreate the
video’s iconic moves.
Banana Boat, which claims to be the No. 1 sunscreen brand and is also owned by Edgewell, is going in a more earnest direction, lamenting how many people will miss summer
altogether. The survey itself uncovered too many depressing statistics to name, such as 53% of pool noodles won’t get wet once this summer, and 66% of coolers will never get pulled out of the
closet.
Themed “Get Outside Stat,” that effort, too, is created by BBH. The social-first creator campaign is designed to show consumers what they are missing.
