Toads' Summer Faves

I really like this campaign for Clearasil via Euro (the agency formerly known as Messner) for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, it does what so many large, well-known American brands should do: try and own the category. We know all know why Cheerios taste good, why Listerine fights bad breath, why Crest cleans your teeth. Pretty much since birth. And we know that Clearasil is an acne medication. So don't bore me with the name of whatever medicine is in there as if I'd never heard of Clearasil before. Sell me on the benefit of clear skin. I mean it's a pretty closed category, right. Clearasil or Oxy. This campaign sells the benefit in a very charming way.

It's also funny in a somewhat sophisticated way, well-cast, not overacted, no cheesy button at the end and gets out of its own way. Not breakthrough in a "what the heck is this/Subservient Chicken" kind of way, but breakthrough nonetheless because it's telling a story and serving as a reminder to an audience that knows Clearasil. The tagline's nice too "May Cause Confidence" - confidence being the one thing most teens could use more of.

It's also made me forget the brilliant Saturday Night Live spoof commercial from 1990 with John Lovitz and Victoria Principal speaking in faux-German that ran as a "commercial" on Mike Meyers' "Sprokets" show. I think the tagline on that one was "Klearasil Macht Das Pimplen Kaput."