A few weeks ago, while watching Gen V on Prime, I came across a Bio-Oil ad, a brand I genuinely like (I credit it with saving my belly from stretch marks during two pregnancies).
It was possibly the WORST AD I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME! (See below 👇)
30 seconds of a manufacturing line? Argh
The music? Double argh
No explanation of what the product is or does. WTAF?
No call to action?
Just the logo, big and bold for 30 seconds. (Ok, I can’t be mad at that.)
The ad goes against every marketing principle in existence.
And yet, it worked.
1. Because it broke the rules
In a lineup of beautifully produced, highly polished, predictable ads, this one felt like a glitch in the matrix. It caught attention precisely because it didn’t follow the rules. That tension? That “wait, what am I watching?” feeling creates pattern disruption, which the brain notices. We’re wired to scan past the familiar and pay attention to the strange.
2. Because it sparked conversation
My husband and I couldn’t stop talking about it. Not because it was good, but because it was so strange (bad, even) which made it unforgettable. We questioned it. Wondered what the strategy was. Now here I am, weeks later, writing a blog post about it. That’s the power of a disruptive idea: it lives rent-free in your brain.
3. Because it was memorable even if the execution was mid
Was the creative brilliant? No.
Was it compelling? Also no.
But did it leave an impression? Absolutely.
The logo was the star. It lingered. It owned the frame. It made damn sure I remembered the name “Bio-Oil.”
But the real reason this ad worked is because it banked on data
This wasn’t an ad trying to convince new customers to try Bio-Oil. It assumed I already knew what the product is and what it does. In fact, it knew for sure I was already familiar with the brand because it knew I bought a bottle on Amazon 6 months ago. Prime being owned by Amazon, means it could leverage that data to hyper target me at a time when they estimated I should have run out of product. It wasn’t educational, it was a well-timed reminder to restock.
That means the creative didn’t need to be brilliant or compelling or informative. It just needed to remind ME of the brand because it leveraged first-party data about MY purchasing history to strategically place the ad at the right place at the right time. This was CTV advertising at its finest.
It’s also why this ad was so much more effective on me than on my husband (who has seen the brand in our medicine cabinet, but never actively purchased it).
So what can you take away from this?
- Right place, right time > perfect creative
When the data is doing the heavy lifting, the creative can be simple. - Not all ads need to educate
If your audience already knows you, a reminder might be more effective than a full pitch. (The funnel works, y’all!) - Disruption is powerful, when it’s strategic
Weird for the sake of weird is risky (which can also work, btw). But weird plus targeting? That’s smart.
TL;DR bad creative + excellent media/targeting play = brilliant BOTF marketing strategy.
Well done Bio-Oil.
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The Minimal Techno Track is very good. Because I am a producer of music for ads , video games, dance and commercials l have had a half dozen peoples ask me to name the producer and what the producer named it!
I agree the creative is desperately lacking and it could pass as a commercial for the T.V. series “How It’s Made”, perhaps not necessarily with nefarious intent, but seemingly identical genre/cinematography.
☆Expression of opinions as though they were facts is a fast way to instigating arguments, fights, battles, even wars. Religion, Politics, Sports, need I say anymore?” IMO (-_•)
It’s so reminiscent of HOW IT’S MADE! Totally! The track is alright, I guess. But it’s the creative that really distracted me from the music. But you understand the strategy behind the ad, it makes sense and all the elements do come together in strangely compelling way.
I found your article because I was Googling why this brand I’ve never heard of has such a weird ad. I have no idea what the product does and I’m not even that bothered about finding out, I was just interested in why the ad existed and if there was some tactic behind it. 😅
I hope I was able to shed a bit of light about what I perceive their strategy to be.
Did you also see it within the Amazon universe?