Seeking to educate university students about skincare, CeraVe teamed up with agency, Backlash, to bring universities across the UK an immersive skincare experience. The campaign took to campuses between April and May to help the students find skincare solutions that were right for them.

Based on the insight that this demographic has, on average, a higher percentage of skin concerns than others, the skincare brand travelled to universities nationwide to combat these concerns and deliver an experiential campaign for the products.

Cecile Lux, General Manager of CeraVe, explained: “From research, we know 74% of Gen-Z have problem-skin concerns, compared to 38% on average. For university students, factors around this pivotal life moment can fuel these concerns – exam & deadline stress, diet, lifestyle and hormones”.

The immersive experience was designed to appeal to students both in content and concept. Titled ‘CeraVe High’, the pop-up appeared at university locations with a blue bus covered in varsity-looking decorations. The tour comes as part of CeraVe’s 'medutaining' model, which Lux explains as the brand “combining medical, with educational and entertaining content”.

Accompanying the pop-up tour were skincare experts. Nurses and experts offered personalised advice to visitors with a variety of needs and concerns.

A Westfield version of the activation saw visitors pick a team based on their skin care goals and needs. Once either #TeamHydration or #TeamClearSkin, they could build a CeraVe-based skincare routine.

The university tour focused on #TeamClearSkin. Lux explained, “This demographic [university students] is therefore a priority to engage and offer effective solutions to help control their blemish-prone skin”. CeraVe High promoted the brand’s Blemish Control Range.

Emphasising a simple, but effective regime, CeraVe looks to cut through the noise of the skincare market.

“Teenage skin can be prone to more oiliness and breakouts, but skin at this age is sensitive, too. That’s why a basic routine reigns supreme. Teenagers are introduced to trends and ingredients on social media now that can cause unnecessary experimentation,” explained Dr Alexis Granite.

She continued, “It’s important to keep it simple and avoid using too many products at once – too much will only lead to irritation and potentially cause issues like contact dermatitis”.

To help students perform better skincare the pop-up also offered free samples, as well as exclusive merch and online CeraVe discount codes.

Through creating a pop-up that effectively speaks to university students, CeraVe and Backlash deepen connections with its core audience. By offering an experience and giving back in goods and free advice, the brand shows a thorough understanding of its consumers and their needs.