Launch Events: Three Lessons from Neutrogena’s ‘Adulthood USA’ Activation -

Plenty of product launches are straightforward, but with a new adult acne line that is pushing skincare into new territory, Neutrogena had to be methodical about how it introduced its Evenly Clear collection. Enter: Adulthood USA, a neighborhood-themed experience for media and influencers that on Feb. 12 used everyday grownup responsibilities, like doing laundry and grocery shopping, as metaphors for its product benefits.

The new dermatologist-backed products were designed for consumers who suffer from adult acne up through the age of 40. With that in mind, Neutrogena created a custom-built, turquoise-hued environment at Nya Studios in Los Angeles featuring themed vignettes that illustrated how adult lifestyles may be busy and complex, but Evenly Clear provides a simple solution to acne care. The setup included a laundromat, convenience mart, bathroom and car wash, all peppered with campaign messaging.

Both educational and shareable, the Adulthood USA experience provided several lessons on what constitutes a meaningful launch event strategy today. Following are three top takeaways. (Agency: Colina Group)

Recruit the technical experts.

Neutrogena didn’t just make product claims, it enlisted the scientists and dermatologists who helped formulate the Evenly Clear line for the event, and they spoke to attendees about specific skincare need-states and solutions. The brand also recruited healthcare professionals from its advisory boards to shed light on the products.

“There are a lot of skincare brands that don’t represent the [dermatology] world, or don’t talk much about it,” says Kevin Shapiro, head of U.S. sun and skincare brand growth at Neutrogena. “But given the number of clinical studies that we run every year and the number of technical frameworks that support our benefits, it’s always important for us to bring that to life. So the event allowed for that exchange.”

Use metaphors to explain product claims.

As Shapiro puts it, Neutrogena didn’t want Adulthood attendees to feel like they were “given a big drug label to read,” but rather, aimed to provide a clear understanding of why the brand uses certain ingredients to treat adult acne, and how they work. That’s where the concept of relating everyday errands to product claims was essential.

“There was a job to be done of not just telling people we have a new lineup, but explaining the category need, and making something that maybe has some shame or frustration [attached], and saying, ‘Hey, we have a solution, and there’s no need to be frustrated here. Adult acne is real,’” Shapiro says. “So building out these different vignettes allowed us to bring other metaphors from adulthood to life that represented the benefits of these products.”

Curate and diversify your guest list.

Neutrogena’s dedication to its “Beauty to a Science” value proposition, and mission to democratize skincare education, was evident in the curation of its Adulthood USA guest list. The brand didn’t invite non-endemic mega-creators or media outlets for their reach, nor did it rely on “derm-fluencers” to support its scientific claims because they might go viral on TikTok. Instead, the brand meticulously selected trusted healthcare professionals and skincare-specific tastemakers to promote its new collection.

“Especially when you’re launching a full [skincare] lineup, part of the way that you bring it to life is by having diverse creators with different skin types, different skin needs, also different ages,” explains Shapiro. “It’s a challenge to launch five, six products at once when they all have different uses… So this [event] really allowed our influencers to have an understanding of which of the products that they would use, and spread the word from there.

Photo credit: Lexus Gallagos

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