Spot the difference

US – Skincare brand Clearasil admits that it knows nothing about marketing to teenagers in a campaign aimed at that very demographic.

: The campaign follows agency Droga 5’s Let’s be Clear series of humorous ads

: Media brands are increasingly choosing to employ members of Gen Viz in order to connect with this visual-first generation

Most brands employ a number of stereotypical tropes in an effort to reach teenagers such as skateboarding, pizza and ripped jeans.

Clearasil has flipped this notion on its head by claiming to know nothing about marketing to teenagers in its latest campaign. Focus groups, blue-sky thinking and marketing executives are satirised in the new, anti-authentic 60-second ad spot.

The campaign pitches the brand’s face wash as a scientific product rather one that is an important part of teenagers’ lifestyles. ‘We work at Clearasil and we are just trying to tell you that Clearasil Ultra works fast,’ explains a deadpan voiceover. ‘We only know teen acne.’