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CeraVe “Michael CeraVe” 2024

CeraVe “Michael CeraVe” (2024) is a CeraVe commercial directed by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim for Ogilvy PR, produced by Prettybird. It won 25 awards, including Ciclope 2024 Grand Prix Ideas Film (61 To 120 Seconds), One Show 2024 Silver Pencil — Branded Entertainment and Cannes Lions 2024 Film Bronze.

Michael Cera stars in a surreal ad for CeraVe, claiming he developed the moisturizing cream, leading to humorous and absurd scenarios that highlight the brand's dermatologist-developed formula.

Video: MACKCUT on Vimeo

Shot by shot

  1. Michael Cera, a man with dark curly hair and a beard, holds up a jar of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, looking at it with a slight smile in a studio.© CeraVe0:00
  2. Michael Cera, a man with dark curly hair and a beard, holds a CeraVe Moisturizing Cream jar and looks at it, then turns to look over his shoulder in a blue-lit room.© CeraVe0:04
  3. Michael Cera, a man with curly brown hair and a mustache, holds up a white jar of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, looking at it with a slight smile.© CeraVe0:05
  4. A man with curly hair receives a back massage from another man in a white tent, with a desert landscape visible outside.© CeraVe0:07
  5. A person with pale skin lies face down as another person's hands massage their back in a brightly lit, serene spa setting.© CeraVe0:08
  6. Michael Cera lies face down on a massage table, with another man behind him, as a transparent image of a person climbing a rock face is superimposed over the scene.© CeraVe0:09
  7. A man in a black shirt and blue shorts is rock climbing up a sheer cliff face, with clouds and mountains in the background.© CeraVe0:12
  8. Michael Cera, flanked by two shirtless men in lab coats, holds up a jar of CeraVe cream in a hazy, ethereal setting.© CeraVe0:13
  9. A group of doctors and business people sit around a conference table, watching a man on a large screen holding a CeraVe product, while another man stands by the screen.© CeraVe0:19
  10. Three people, two doctors and one man in a suit, sit in a meeting room with the CeraVe logo on the wall, looking directly at the camera.© CeraVe0:23
  11. Michael Cera, a male in his 30s with a beard, wearing a blue sweater, stands in a bright room, gesturing with his hands while talking to two people whose backs are to the camera.© CeraVe0:25
  12. A white jar of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream sits on a blue and white surface, with text "DEVELOPED WITH DERMATOLOGISTS. NOT MICHAEL CERA." on the left.© CeraVe0:27

Stills © CeraVe. Made by Ogilvy PR, Prettybird and Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim.

Every shot, full-quality frames and clips, and search across every commercial. Free account.

The idea

Michael Cera claims to be CeraVe's founder, creating absurd, self-important scenarios.

Tagline: “Developed with Dermatologists. Not Michael Cera.”

celebrity endorsement parodyabsurdist humormeta-commentaryproduct as a magical elixircorporate meeting satiremisleading claims

The cut

Length
30 s
Shots
12
Average shot
2.5 s

What creatives use CeraVe “Michael CeraVe” for

  1. 01Reference frames for your treatment

    Pitching something with the feel of CeraVe “Michael CeraVe”? A screenshot from a video player won't hold up in a deck.

    Download any frame of this spot at full quality, with its credits, or search every spot for the same look.

    Michael Cera, a man with dark curly hair and a beard, holds up a jar of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, looking at it with a slight smile in a studio.© CeraVeMichael Cera, a man with dark curly hair and a beard, holds a CeraVe Moisturizing Cream jar and looks at it, then turns to look over his shoulder in a blue-lit room.© CeraVeMichael Cera, a man with curly brown hair and a mustache, holds up a white jar of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, looking at it with a slight smile.© CeraVeA man with curly hair receives a back massage from another man in a white tent, with a desert landscape visible outside.© CeraVe
    Frames from CeraVe “Michael CeraVe”

  2. 02Shot list example: how it was cut

    You need the structure of a great spot, shot by shot, for your storyboard.

    Every shot of CeraVe “Michael CeraVe” in order, with its length, framing and what happens in it.

    Michael Cera, a man with dark curly hair and a beard, holds up a jar of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, looking at it with a slight smile in a studio.© CeraVeMichael Cera, a man with dark curly hair and a beard, holds a CeraVe Moisturizing Cream jar and looks at it, then turns to look over his shoulder in a blue-lit room.© CeraVeMichael Cera, a man with curly brown hair and a mustache, holds up a white jar of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, looking at it with a slight smile.© CeraVeA man with curly hair receives a back massage from another man in a white tent, with a desert landscape visible outside.© CeraVeA person with pale skin lies face down as another person's hands massage their back in a brightly lit, serene spa setting.© CeraVeMichael Cera lies face down on a massage table, with another man behind him, as a transparent image of a person climbing a rock face is superimposed over the scene.© CeraVe
    Length: 30 s · Shots: 12 · Average shot: 2.5 s

  3. 03Ad ideas: every spot built on a celebrity endorsement parody

    Before you present an idea, you need to know who has done it, and how.

    CeraVe “Michael CeraVe” is built on a celebrity endorsement parody. Search the library by idea to see every spot that uses it.

    Allstate “Mayhem”© AllstateHomes.com “Not Saying We're The Best”© Homes.comFruit of the Loom “Plastique”© Fruit of the Loom
    Allstate · Homes.com · Fruit of the Loom

Award-winning beauty & personal care commercials

  • Libresse "Never Just a Period" (2025) commercial still© LibresseLibresse “Never Just a Period” 2025Dir. Lucy Forbes · AMV BBDOEurobest Grand Prix 2024
  • Whisper "Keep Girls in School" (2023) commercial still© WhisperWhisper “Keep Girls in School” 2023Leo BurnettEffie Awards Grand Prix 2023
  • Essity "Viva La Vulva" (2019) commercial still© EssityEssity “Viva La Vulva” 2019Dir. Kim Gehrig · AMV BBDOCiclope Grand Prix 2019
  • Shiseido make up "The Party Bus" (2018) commercial still© Shiseido make upShiseido make up “The Party Bus” 2018Dir. Show Yanagisawa · SHISEIDO Creative DivisionEpica Grand Prix 2018
  • Old Spice "Smell Legendary" (2016) commercial still© Old SpiceOld Spice “Smell Legendary” 2016Dir. Steve Rogers · Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, USAClio Awards Grand Prix 2016
  • Dove "Evolution" (2006) commercial still© DoveDove “Evolution” 2006Dir. Yael Staav · Ogilvy & MatherCannes Lions Grand Prix 2007

Questions

Who directed the CeraVe “Michael CeraVe” commercial?

Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim directed it, produced by Prettybird, for the agency Ogilvy PR.

Which agency made CeraVe “Michael CeraVe”?

Ogilvy PR created it for CeraVe (2024).

What awards did CeraVe “Michael CeraVe” win?

25 awards, including Ciclope 2024 Grand Prix Ideas Film (61 To 120 Seconds), One Show 2024 Silver Pencil — Branded Entertainment, Cannes Lions 2024 Film Bronze and Ciclope 2024 Gold Ideas Film (61 To 120 Seconds).

What is the tagline of CeraVe “Michael CeraVe”?

“Developed with Dermatologists. Not Michael Cera.”