Available through Vaseline’s Facebook page, the series will track the ‘Dry Skin Patrol’, a team of women suffering from dry skin that will undergo a succession of ‘dry-skin torture tests’ including the Philadelphia Marathon and the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge.
Vaseline found the team of women online, via each of their blog entries on the topic of dry skin, and recruited them for the four events where Vaseline will also be offering free samples and skincare advice.
The Facebook page will feature profiles of each of the ‘Dry Skin Patrol’ team members and a forum for dry skin sufferers’ questions. Users will also have the option to send ‘virtual gifts’ to friends and to request a free sample.
Strategy to promote vaseline body care
The marketing strategy is intended to promote Vaseline’s new line of ‘highly therapeutic’ body lotions, Vaseline Intensive Rescue, which includes three variants: Intensive Rescue Repairing Moisture, Intensive Rescue Soothing Moisture and Intensive Rescue Clinical Therapy.
The focus on eliminating dry skin comes after a survey, carried out by Redshift on behalf of Vaseline, found that 40 per cent of the 1,017 female respondents felt that ‘dry skin made activities they like less enjoyable’.
With the ability to ‘accelerate skin’s healing process’ by ‘instantly tripling moisture reserves without feeling greasy or sticky’, Vaseline claims that its new body lotions will ‘deliver more moisture’ than the existing Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair lotion.
'Prescription strenght moisturizer'
It adds that the Intensive Rescue Clinical Therapy lotion is a ‘prescription strength moisturizer available over the counter’.
The new brand and Dry Skin Patrol team are part of Vaseline’s target to ‘deliver one million good skin days’ via its skin care products. The Vaseline brand mission, as stated on its Facebook page is “to provide the knowledge, advice and products that enable everyone to enjoy great, healthy looking skin every day!”
The repeated attempt to employ social media marketing comes after Vaseline for men in India’s controversial Facebook campaign, which gave users the option of lightening their skin colour in their photos.