Instagram Flash-Mob

Johnson & Johnson wanted beach-goers and outdoor enthusiasts to use the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer sun block during the season, to protect their skin from harmful UV rays.

Young people are particularly vulnerable to sun damage, so the campaign was designed to encourage youths who enjoy the sun to protect themselves with the Neutrogena sun block, which claimed to provide up to three times longer UVA protection compared to similar products.

The campaign used a photo-mob concept which featured the talents of popular iPhone photographer Chia Aik Beng. Beng uploaded photos one by one to the iPhone sharing app Instagram over a three day period to create buzz around the brand message. Each photo was a piece of a larger image which once completed, remained online for a specified time only to then disappear without trace - just like a traditional flash-mob.

That beach isn't what it seems

The photos featured miniature figures enjoying the sunshine on the beach, but on closer inspection the 'beach' was really a close-up shot of human skin.

32 pictures were uploaded, accompanied with titles that told the story of friends going for a day on the beach. At the end of the three days, the hash tag #NeutrogenaUltraSheer was added to the pictures. When users clicked on the hash tag, they were treated to a stunning montage image of the sun.

A final picture was uploaded with the brand message: 'Let your skin have a little more fun in the sun. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer with 3x longer UVA protection.'

This first-ever photo-mob via the Instagram app saw Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer sun block message weaved into the campaign during the three days of uploads. The complete montage remained online for three hours.

Results

The photo-mob was launched on 29 July and gathered a total of 6792 likes and achieved a positive response from over 500 comments generated. The total amplified reach (total followers) was 856 500. Beyond Instagram, the brand exposure reached an approximate 40 000 people on Twitter.