There are worse ways to spend a day in Tallahassee than watching Tyler Cameron demolish a tanning bed with a sledgehammer. Whether such demolition constitutes a sound public health intervention is, perhaps, beside the point.
CeraVe, the L'Oréal-owned skin care brand that has become something of a first love for young consumers treating acne and eczema, has turned its attention to what it views as an alarming countertrend: the same generation it has spent years educating about skin health has lately embraced "tanmaxxing," the social media-native practice of aggressive, deliberate tanning.
The brand's response is a four-episode documentary-style series, created for social platforms, in which Mr. Cameron, the former "Bachelorette" contestant turned renovation personality, and Dr. Chloe Goodman, a dermatologist, transform the backyard of the Tri Delta sorority house at Florida State University into what the brand calls a "sun-safe space." The makeover includes a pergola for shade, strategic landscaping, UV meters that alert students when rays are most intense, and dispensing stations for CeraVe's new Invisible Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50.
(The tanning bed destruction in episode one is, one assumes, meant to be symbolic.)
"It was quite alarming to us that a demographic that we've been educating and supporting on skin health is also taking to this 'tanmaxxing' trend," said Jasteena Gill, senior vice president of marketing at CeraVe US. She added that the campaign was designed to meet young consumers where the conversation was already happening rather than to lecture them about their habits.
Google Trends data shows searches for "tanning" at a five-year high, with "tanning oil" up 40 percent. The series will conclude on August 17 with the reveal of the completed backyard.
CeraVe has long positioned itself as the number one dermatologist-recommended brand, and its campaigns frequently feature actual dermatologists alongside celebrities. "That's how we got Tyler Cameron and Dr. Chloe Goodman to come together," Ms. Gill said, "and really bring the education and the entertainment."
Whether a pergola can outcompete a five-year trend remains to be seen.
Original story published in adweek.com: "CeraVe Fights Gen Z's Tanmaxxing Obsession With Tyler Cameron and a Sorority Makeover"