Skincare brand The Ordinary has just launched "Slowvember" to get ahead of the Black Friday hype, encouraging shoppers to be more mindful of their purchases.
Helmed by independent agency Soursop, the month-long effort reminds consumers not to give in to "Cheap Creep," a common experience felt by shoppers year-round, most especially during Black Friday when the sale hype is at its peak.
The campaign takes an anti-consumerist perspective, with billboards showing slogans like "PROMO OR FOMO?" in striking black and white.
It also aims to uncover dishonest marketing tactics amid throwaway culture, overconsumption, planned obsolescence, and "shrinkflation," all of which are rapidly growing problems in consumer-facing industries.
This dedication to upholding integrity underscores The Ordinary's impeccable brand values, going above and beyond to prioritize customer satisfaction above profits.
Brand purpose is also a key factor in this campaign's long-term goal of creating loyal customers.
Doing it Differently
The highlight of the campaign is a month-long discount that offers customers 23% off of their purchases, removing the need for panic buying and time-sensitive decision-making.
The Ordinary will also close its physical and online stores on Black Friday.
In a statement to DesignRush, Soursop Executive Creative Director Annie Chiu highlighted the agency's admiration for The Ordinary and its transparency ethos:
"They genuinely practice what they preach and employ honesty and respect in every step — from the products, through to the marketing, to how they treat their vendors and teams that they work with.
At this time of the year many brands are big and brash and shouty, all just to get sales. The Ordinary does it totally differently, advocating 'Slowvember.'
Our idea for 'Cheap Creep' was to bring the anti-Black Friday and 'Slowvember' ethos to life in a very eye-catching way, playing with Halloween. The full-page newspaper ads and wild postings then served as tools to actually combat 'Cheap Creep.'"
Chiu concluded by emphasizing how The Ordinary's efforts are leading the way to a new marketing approach that is honest, sustainable, and mindful.
Meanwhile, according to Nicola Kilner, CEO and co-founder of The Ordinary's parent company DECIEM, the brand is increasing its focus on creating honest pricing models and promotions.
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Running throughout November across key cities in the U.K., U.S., and Canada, the campaign will consist of social media ads and bold OOH posters.
Additionally, full-page ads will run in major publications like the New York Times and the Guardian.
Back in May, The Ordinary made waves with a global campaign that broke all the rules of skincare advertising.
