Why E45 Started Afresh and Defied the Skincare Category
Last year, Karo Healthcare acquired cult-favourite brand E45 from Reckitt, and with that, the skincare brand became the biggest name in Karo’s repertoire. Soon enough - this month, in fact - it launched E45’s newest rebranding campaign, aiming to modernise the household name and resonate with younger consumers.
Made by The&Partnership and mSix group, the campaign was dubbed ‘THIS IS ME45’ and, as the play on words suggests, it touches on the ways in which all the E45 products can become a part of a healthy skincare diet, no matter the condition or skin type, and can be worn with unabashed confidence.
Somesuch’s Tajana Tokyo brought the idea to life by painting a picture of modern Britain, showcasing the beauty of everyday situations - a postie in shorts protecting her dry winter knees, school girls dancing in the bathroom mirror, a cyclist commuting home, an adorable scene of a father and his son post swimming practice, a woman working in her home office and a student doing the dreadful washing up.
A brand which has been not just around, but has become a habit in its everyday usage by Brits, both for treatment of skin conditions and just simple sun protection or moisturisation, is finally getting a new, fresh start. While protecting its heritage, the teams behind ME45 aim to promote confidence and break the barriers of the skincare industry - this is also why the talent of the film is entirely street-cast!
LBB’s Zoe Antonov spoke to Benjamin Court, global marketing manager of E45 at Karo Pharma and Kate Allsop and Sarina Da Costa Gomez, creative directors for The&Partnership, to find out more.
LBB> What was the brief for the campaign and what were the initial iterations?
Benjamin> The brief was to develop an enduring campaign idea for E45, something that is ownable and true to our brand’s heritage, but also something that would drive reappraisal of E45, especially among younger audiences. The idea of being comfortable in your skin, which is very present in our campaign, resonates so well with the brand and with our consumers, and it is important to have a message that goes beyond the product claims.
The ME45 idea was there from the beginning of the process with The&Partnership, but we considered many other options and ultimately, this is the one that resonated most with consumers and that we loved the most as well!
LBB> Why did you pick this time for the rebrand and why is it significant to do this move now?
Benjamin> As soon as we acquired the brand, we started work on it, but in order to get it right, we took a step back, did some consumer research, and worked on our brand heart and positioning before launching into the creative work.
In terms of timing, launching in October lines up nicely with the start of the cold weather and the increase in dry skin incidences. It also lines up with the launch of our new face products, which includes a day cream with SPF, a night cream, and a serum.
LBB> What was the positioning aim for the E45 rebrand - how did the film succeed in repositioning the E45 products?
Kate> E45 is a trusted brand that is in most people’s homes across the nation, and we’re making it relevant again to a younger audience. The bold new creative vehicle, ‘THIS IS ME45’, is about giving people unapologetic confidence to feel comfortable in their skin, physically and emotionally.
LBB> So, tell me about the tagline - what is its significance?
Benjamin> ‘THIS IS ME45’ is our new brand tagline. Given the high brand awareness of E45 in the UK, we know audiences will get it and hopefully take away from it that E45 is a brand for them - a brand for everyone - and that we cater to all skin types and conditions.
LBB> How involved were E45 in the creative process?
Sarina> We couldn’t have wished for better clients than the team at Karo Healthcare. This is a new client relationship for The&Partnership after our pitch win last year. They have been our absolute trusted and trusting partners on this campaign.
LBB> Likewise, what made The&Partnership the perfect partners for the project?
Benjamin> We had a really great team on the project, and they worked really well together, making it a fairly smooth process throughout. They really understood how important this campaign was for us and put a lot of effort into making this a success. The team really was very passionate about the brand and brought in a great director, Tejana Tokyo, who brought her incredible vision to the script.
LBB> Tell me about the overall aesthetic of the film, especially the colours.
Kate> Our director, Tajana Tokyo from Somesuch, shot on film, which allowed us to show real people’s skin with authentic quality. The new campaign launch also coincided with a vibrant new visual brand identity refresh for E45, so we were keen to reflect that bold new look in our aesthetic.
LBB> The film is quintessentially British - how did you achieve that look, how did you pick the locations and the best representation?
Sarina> Not just British - modern British. E45 is a British brand, and the campaign reflects that. We’ve all seen a postie out delivering the mail while wearing shorts in the freezing depths of winter. They carry on in British stoic fashion. Or we probably all remember the chlorine itch from the local swimming pool. It’s insightful British moments like this which makes this film relatable. At the same time, we were mindful to make it true to 2023 Britain with contemporary references like the working from home scene, and diverse casting throughout.
LBB> What role did music and sound play on the project?
Kate> We’re refreshing the brand’s tone of voice and music has a big part to play in that. The music is an original composition by Sunny Kapoor and is brimming with the confidence we want people to feel when they see this spot.
LBB> Tell me about the casting process on the film.
Sarina> The talent in our campaign were all street-cast for their diverse characters and different skin conditions. We wanted to authentically represent people with real skin conditions to create a totally relatable film.
Benjamin> We wanted to show real people with real skin conditions. You don’t often see close-ups of skin in skin care ads, and it was important for us to show different skin conditions in a way that’s not often seen. We’re also going to be releasing our on social channels behind the scenes content where we ask our cast about their skin conditions and we get their advice on how they've learned to be comfortable in their skin - something that can be challenging.
LBB> What was the most challenging part of creating the campaign? What about the most fun?
Kate> Street-casting for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis comes with its challenges, as it tends to be something that people often cover up. But the process was worth it as we got to meet some interesting people with incredible skin stories. And under Tajana’s direction, we saw their confidence blossom on set, so the shooting process beautifully mirrored the brand role.
LBB> How is E45 defying the healthcare category with the rebrand and where are we seeing the category move to in the coming years in your opinion?
Benjamin> E45 has been around for over 70 years and with this rebrand, we wanted to show real people with real skin problems. A lot of the time, the skincare industry still feels quite airbrushed and the usual category norms don’t really align with E45 , so we’re very proud that this rebrand feels modern and also very in line with our brand.
LBB> Any final thoughts?
Kate> It’s not every day that you get to refresh a brand as iconic as E45. Our fresh new platform is just the start of a whole new chapter for E45 - one where we’re on a mission to help everybody feel comfortable in their skin. And there’s more new work in the pipeline for E45 off the back of winning the prestigious Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award. Watch this space!
