In the age of serums, potions and extensive beauty routines, a brand like Jergens can’t just lean on a rich legacy. So, for its 125th anniversary, Jergens staged a refresh with a vibrant tour that targeted Gen Z hotspots and let influencers and its target consumers in on the new logo unveiling.
The Jergens Joy Club Tour hit Orlando, FL; Atlanta; Nashville; Wildwood, NJ; Chicago; and Santa Monica, CA, strategically timed to activate around a nearby music festival, event or beauty community, like CMA Fest, Barefoot Country Music Fest, Lollapalooza and The Cheerleading Worlds, where “there’s a big sunless tanning culture,” according to Stephanie Kimutis, associate director-core consumer care at Kao USA.
“There’s such a rich history there,” she says of the Jergens brand. “But we need today’s younger consumers to come into the franchise, and that’s what all of our new product development is centered around, too.”
Cultivating Relationships with Influencers
But before the Jergens Joy Club Tour officially launched, the brand kicked off the campaign with a creator trip to Miami to get the conversation going on socials.
“That’s purposeful to really get these creators who can help us build the trust and share authentic experiences with the brand, and then we end with consumers because they want to be a part of that,” Kimutis says. “As they’ve become our brand ambassadors, and you see them show up at more than just one event or one post, it is helping us build this long-term equity with them and the younger consumer.”
Jergens invited creators Mei Mei Vigliotta and Darcy McQueeny to join a few stops to meet attendees and then help unveil the new logo in California as the finale of the tour. The Jergens team heard that some fans drove hours to be able to meet the brand ambassadors in person.
Swag-tivities Without Overwhelming Lines
At each stop, the Joy Club crew distributed scratch-off tickets to attendees waiting in line that uncovered one of Jergens’ “joyful” icons, like a flamingo or a palm tree, that led them to a station with the matching symbol.
They could either pull a prize from an ice cream cooler, play a version of “Plinko” called “The Joy Drop” or putt a golf ball on an oversized letter J. The tickets funneled attendees to specified activity areas to prevent long waits and keep them flowing through the space. Participants walked away with tattoos, stickers, plush flamingos and golf balls, and took photos with Jergens’ bottle-shaped mascot.
Each tour stop also featured a branded beverage or snack, and on the Santa Monica Pier, the brand served Jergens-stamped cotton candy, which was available in three flavors: Cherry Softness, Pink Vanilla Cloud and Tropical Escape.
“We like to talk about the joy of Jergens really in the five senses, and so taste was a big component,” Kimutis says. “It was a lot of research into trends and what would be cool enough that consumers would be willing to wait in line for it.”
The main event was the Sample Shoppe, which showcased Jergens products and allowed attendees to smell the new scents, test the new collections and fill a bag with full-size and mini bottles. Jergens handed out 2,000 to 3,000 samples per stop.
Letting Consumers ‘In’ on a New Chapter
The tour’s final stop was set for the big brand reveal. Everything branded within the footprint had to be replaced with the new logo. Jergens covered the new logo on all the signage and set pieces with stickers. Some of them featured messages like, “Wait for it…”
Vigliotta joined Kimutis in front of the Joy Club entrance arch, dramatically pulling the sticker off. Members of the brand team uncovered the new logo around the space at the same time. And the brand’s next-gen consumers enjoyed a front-row seat for it all.
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