Update: Cetaphil Daddy-Daughter Spot Faces Controversy

Which brand will take home the 2024 Super Clio for the best Super Bowl commercial? We’ll find out on Feb. 12.

UPDATE, Feb. 11: In an unexpected twist, TikTok creator Sharon Mbabazi, who’s videos with her stepdad have generated millions of views, claims Cetaphil’s daddy-daughter game day campaign comes too close for comfort.

“I thought, OK, maybe it’s a coincidence, until I saw the dad [in the commercial] walk into her room and put skin care under his eyes, like what my step dad and I did in our video, and he put eye patches under his eye. Like literally bar for bar it’s the same concept, same idea,” she says on the social platform.

Per a report in AdAge, Craig Elimeliah, CCO at agency /prompt, which crafted the Cetaphil campaign, “said that Mbabazi and her dad would appear in a follow-up to the spot. ‘We never saw the footage,’ Elimeliah said, referring to Mbabazi’s TikToks.”

Here’s our original post from yesterday:

There’s a Taylor Swift connection to Super Bowl XLVII? Why has no one noticed this before?

Swifties should savor a game-themed spot from Cetaphil, which features tons of Taylor-Travis Easter eggs in a sweet story of daddy-daughter bonding:

Yeah, 13 is a lucky number these days. And who doesn’t dig butterflies and cardigans?

Obvi, the clip leverages a recent surge of Taylor-driven interest in all things NFL among Gen Z—and especially for young women and girls who venerate the Grammy-winning singer.

Dubbed #GameTimeGlow, the initiative feels like a timely tie-in, an authentic way to acknowledge the moment while not actually shelling out $7 million for an in-game buy.

“We wanted to create a campaign that resonates on a deeper level, beyond the noise of internet culture,” says Craig Elimeliah, CCO at /prompt, which developed the initiative. 

“We’re not just offering skincare products,” he says. “We’re providing families with a toolkit for togetherness, a chance to learn, laugh and love as they prep for the Big Game.”

In essence, the Swift Effect widens the SB hype funnel, allowing a skincare brand like Cetaphil to share some of the limelight. Other examples include e.l.f. and NYX, cosmetics companies running spots in the game, but might not have done so in previous years, without football’s fresh appeal for women.

Michael Marantz directed the Cetaphil advert. It broke online yesterday, shared through a network of influencers. It’s already had an impact, with the brand name trending across social media.

CLICK HERE to watch all of this year’s Super Bowl commercials as they’re released.