Clearasil launches new campaign

If you want to communicate with the kids, then you have to use the tools that the kids are using today. That’s a simple lesson that marketers are starting to take very seriously. Today’s kids don’t absorb ads like those of a decade ago. Today, you have to target your message in a high-tech way.

Clearasil is trying to reach young users though a new marketing campaign designed to use nontraditional advertising venues. Instead of newspapers (who reads those?) and television (quickly becoming passe in today’s “I want it when I want it” entertainment culture), Clearasil is using video clips designed for viewing on smartphones and PC tablets. The hope is that the message will go viral, allowing it to reach millions of potential buyers in a short period of time.

Another benefit: using these marketing methods could cost less in the long run. Traditional marketing schemes already knew where the hot real estate was. You want advertising time during the Super Bowl? You’re going to pay a hefty fee for that privilege. You want a full-page advertisement on page 3 of the New York Times? Better get your checkbook ready.

When it comes to viral marketing, though, it’s largely about making content that people want to share. The more that people share the ads, the more people it reaches. In this way, it’s less about prime real estate and more about quality content.

Clearasil is taking this approach seriously, too, by sponsoring a concert by singer JoJo and incorporating her music into the ads.