Neutrogena jumps on organic social phrasing
Neutrogena has embraced its 'Main Character Energy' in its latest ad by Ogilvy, which follows in a long line of brands hopping on memetic phrases.
Neutrogena has taken inspiration from the viral 'Main Character Energy' trend in its latest campaign. The new ad, ‘Neutrogena® presents Main Character Energy with Nicola Coughlan’, developed in collaboration with Ogilvy UK, aims to position Neutrogena as a must-have in every skincare routine, ensuring that its users feel like the protagonists of their own stories.
Lucy Mae Turner, creative at Ogilvy UK, shared insights into the campaign’s journey, stating: "After months of planning, story-boarding, casting, filming and post-production back-and-forth, we launched our hero film [...] And there is so much more to come - 2025 is truly the year we make Neutrogena the main character, alongside Nicola Coughlan, of course."
The campaign’s success is already evident, garnering engagement and sparking conversations across both social media and traditional media outlets. It racked up hundreds of thousands of views, 21,000 likes and counting, and reems of comments, as well as media hits across Stylist, Grazia, Glamour and more.
Our take
By tapping into the language and ethos of digital culture, Neutrogena is reinforcing its connection with younger consumers who seek products that align with their personal narratives. From 'quiet luxury' to 'hot girl summer’, the power of the latest hip phrase is undeniable at this point.
A recent example was seen in Charli XCX’s Superbowl banter with Martha Stewart for Uber Eats, in which they enact the popular TikTok trend ‘We Listen and We Don’t Judge’. Meanwhile, Ikea parodied this kind of trend-led campaign in its recent playful advert.
The speed at which ads are created nowadays seems to be keeping pace with the breakneck speed of the culture. While social media is increasingly utilised for ‘fastvertising’, allowing brands to make the most of up-to-the-minute references, full production agencies are proving they too can be stealthy: albeit more ‘up-to-the-month’, than ‘up-to-the-minute’.
If you enjoyed this article, you can subscribe for free to our weekly email alert and receive a regular curation of the best creative campaigns by creatives themselves.
Published on: