Dive Brief:

• Clinique will launch a campaign this month across social media, digital and in-person activations to support the launch of its Moisture Surge SPF 28 product, the company said in a press release.
• "Protect Your Glow'' kicks off April 14 with the Clinique Hydration House pop-up in Indio, California. The makeup and skincare brand will also sponsor a Day Club Palm Springs pool party occurring over two weekends this month.
• The kick-off events take place during Coachella, though press details exclude the music festival's name. Additional elements include college brand ambassadors and a mobile pop-up shop in major cities as the brand continues to court Gen Z.

Dive Insight:

Clinique is taking on the music scene in pursuit of Gen Z, timing its efforts around one of the nation’s largest annual music festivals. The move could help it form a stronger connection to the younger demographic, while also getting the word out about additional campaign elements and its new SPF product. Others have similarly looked to the musical festival for marketing moves, including Aperol.

Kicking off the “Protect Your Glow” campaign, Clinique’s Hydration House is meant to offer an off-site gathering place for influencers and festival-goers, boasting a pool party, skincare-themed installations, glow bar, photo opportunities and gifts. The event, slated for April 14-16, will also feature daily DJ appearances from artists Coco & Breezy, DJ Tay James and DJ Brittany Sky. While Clinique heavily alludes to Coachella in press details, the brand never explicitly name drops the festival and doesn’t appear on the list of official sponsors for this year.

The brand is an official sponsorship of the Day Club Palm Springs pool party series during weekends one and two of Coachella – April 15-16 and April 22-23 — that will include photo opportunities and gifts along with a moisture bar.

Throughout April and May, the brand will also host off-campus pool parties in Florida and Arizona meant to attract college-aged consumers. The events will feature skin prep stations focused on the importance of SPF and skin hydration, giveaways, photo opportunities and DJ appearances. Clinique will also partner with student organizations and brand ambassadors nationwide, upping the odds of an expanded reach.

To wrap up the effort, Clinique will hold mobile pop-up shops in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago. The pop-ups will feature popular skin hydration products along with skincare consultations, product sampling, giveaways and photo opportunities.

The latest effort by the beauty brand follows a string of other activations by the brand geared toward Gen Z. Most recently, the makeup and skincare retailer in March built upon its in-store lab concept with The Clinique Lab, a virtual environment where consumers can make custom avatars and brows products. Last June, the company also launched a diversity-focused NFT campaign called “Metaverse More Like Us.”

Clinique isn’t the only long-time skincare brand looking to appeal to the younger demographic. For example, Neutrogena in January launched “Hydro House,” a TikTok campaign meant to playfully mock reality TV dating shows while promoting its Hydro Boost Cleanser. The seven-part series featured a handful of influencers and was a success for the brand, with one “episode” gaining over 33 million views.