No seven-second delay needed here: Celebrity dermatologist Sandra Lee, M.D., better known as Dr. Pimple Popper, is back in another series of Sun Pharma ads, this time to tackle taboos around talking about acne.
In the first of a set of three ads, a mother and father are shocked and appalled as their two teenage children chat openly about their acne, with every mention of sebum—the naturally produced wax that can feed bacteria and lead to acne if too much builds up under the skin—bleeped out like profanity. The parents’ disapproval, of course, only inspires their youngest child to start up a (censored) chant of “Sebum! Sebum!” before being forcibly shushed by her mother.
That’s when Dr. Pimple Popper swoops in, using a conveniently placed diagram on the tablecloth to educate the family about sebum and its role in acne. The lesson leads into a promotion of Winlevi, Sun Pharma’s androgen receptor inhibitor that’s indicated as a topical acne treatment for teens and adults and works specifically by targeting sebum production.
The “Family Dinner” spot is already airing on connected TV, or CTV, which puts out ads via streaming services. It’ll be followed in the coming weeks by two more ads, dubbed “Getting Ready” and “Game Night,” and accompanied by paid social media and online video display ads, per a Sun Pharma announcement Wednesday.
“Extensive market research shows that teenagers do not want to talk about their acne, so we sought to demystify sebum as an underlying cause of the condition and to encourage young people to have more dialogue about it,” said Andy Nelson, vice president of sales and marketing within Sun Pharma’s medical dermatology division.
Extending the company’s collaboration with Dr. Pimple Popper to the new set of ads “fits well with our use of humorous and relatable content to connect with teens,” Nelson added in the announcement.
Lee has helped promote Winlevi in digital ads for the last two years, including by partnering with Sun Pharma on last year’s “AH-ha! It’s Acne Hormones” campaign, which focused on promoting education and awareness around the role hormones play in acne for people of all ages, genders and ethnicities.