Vaseline’s new skincare campaign shields gamers where they play

Who: Vaseline Thailand (Unilever), in collaboration with Ogilvy Canada for creative and strategy, Ogilvy Singapore for local execution, Mindshare Singapore for media, Umi Games for in-game integration, Dogsled Studio for CGI and 3D, and Sailor Studio for PR, video editing, and animation.

What: Screen Block, a new product and campaign led by Ogilvy Canada, aims to raise awareness about blue light exposure among hardcore gamers and offer a solution. The product will be permanently available in Thailand in physical stores.

When & where: The campaign launched in Thailand in April, with in-game integrations running through April 24. Plans are underway to expand the campaign to other markets. The campaign assets include online video (OLV), digital, social, influencer content, in-game media (Twitch), and Fortnite gameplay elements.

Why: While most people are aware of skin damage caused by prolonged sun exposure, Unilever research shows that 64% of consumers are unaware of the risks posed by blue light emitted from screens. Blue light can penetrate the skin even deeper than UV rays during prolonged exposure. Since gamers spend significant time on screens, Vaseline and Ogilvy Canada developed this campaign to address the issue by engaging high-risk users—hardcore gamers—where they spend the most time: online.

"No matter the game, the 3.3 billion gamers worldwide all share a common enemy—blue light. Most just don’t know it,” said Francesco Grandi, chief creative officer at Ogilvy Canada. “To shine a spotlight on this invisible reality, we didn’t just launch a campaign to raise awareness; we created a product to shield gamers’ real-life skin. This is especially important for the 25% of the gaming community who play almost 40 hours per week, and the pro gamers who train more than 12 hours per day.”

How: The campaign originated as a proactive concept from Ogilvy Canada, which worked with the global Vaseline team to develop and produce it. Thailand was selected as the first market due to its first-mover consumer culture and large gaming community (32 million gamers).

To integrate the idea into gameplay, Ogilvy Canada collaborated with Umi Games to create an immersive Fortnite experience. A 45-second game trailer depicts UV rays as a Fortnite character with a TV screen as its head, chasing and draining life from other characters. The characters fight back using Vaseline Screen Block, which appears as both a shield and a weapon. The tagline reads: 'The most dangerous energy just met its match.'

"Bringing playable brand experiences to life has been a journey fueled by creativity and collaboration,” said Tom Parry, president of Umi Games. “Partnering with a globally forward-thinking brand like Unilever allowed us to push creative boundaries and craft a truly immersive, joy-filled world for players.”

A 60-second PR film complements the campaign, featuring news headlines about UV damage and testimonials from gamers who have integrated Screen Block into their routines. The tagline reinforces the message: 'Because even the most skilled gamers only get one skin. Apply before play.'

Plans for expansion: Vaseline plans to extend the campaign beyond Thailand to other markets in the near future.

Influencer strategy: To amplify the launch, Vaseline partnered with 12 Thai influencers and three global influencers, who shared their experiences using Screen Block as part of their skincare and gaming routines.

Twitch metrics showed that streamers such as Superbus5_ and Patiizz surpassed average concurrent viewers (CCUs) and total minutes watched during the integration.

And we quote: “A product like Screen Block could really save their skin. It’s a ‘gaming accessory’ that we want to see as part of every gamer’s routine.” – Francesco Grandi, chief creative officer, Ogilvy Canada.

CREDITS

Client: Vaseline Global
Idea Creation: Ogilvy Canada
Ogilvy Singapore
In-game Integration: Umi Games
Media: Mindshare Singapore
PR Video: Sailor Studio
VFX: Dogsled Studio
Alyssa Sgouraditis
Ogilvy Canada
[email protected]
Screen Block PR Film