Rihanna joins Nivea’s largest-ever marketing effort

German cosmetics giant Beiersdorf is realigning its well-known Nivea brand of products as part of its 100th anniversary.  The skincare brand is set to spend over US$ 1.4 billion in getting the message out. DraftFCB is the lead agency for Beiersdorf and the campaign. The cosmetics giant has signed on international R&B sensation Rihanna for what will be Nivea’s biggest ever marketing effort.

Markus Pinger, Beiersdorf board member responsible for brands, said the ‘100 years skincare for life’ campaign visually highlights the importance of skin, capturing moments of closeness between people of different ages, genders and nationalities. Rihanna’s ‘California king bed’ provides the soundtrack to the emotional images and the campaign also leverages on the performer’s online fan base.

“We know that people only feel comfortable in their skin if they are happy about the way they look,” he said. “That is currently only around 10 per cent of all women worldwide.” The campaign will cover TV, print and digital media. The ads demonstrate the diversity of skin, Nivea’s comprehensive skin care expertise and its diverse portfolio of products.

The campaign will cover TV, print and digital media. All Nivea brand websites have been updated to incorporate the campaign’s look and feel, and Nivea’s official Facebook page now includes an interactive tool allowing friends to integrate themselves with a Rihanna video. Nivea is also sponsoring Rihanna’s ‘Loud’ tour of the US and Europe. On 9 May in commemoration of its 100-year anniversary, skin care company Nivea celebrated its birthday in a big way, and they brought Rihanna along for the ride. The company kicked off a two-day celebration beginning 9 May, on the special Nivea Blue Boat cruise in Hamburg, Germany. The event was also followed by a meet and greet with more than 50 Nivea consumers from around the world.

Rihanna signed on as spokesperson for the skin care brand earlier this year, posing nude for their ‘The 100 Years of Skincare for Life’ campaign. In accordance with the endorsement, the company will also sponsor the 23-year-old’s Loud tour, which begins later this month. “Over the past 100 years, Nivea has been an iconic skincare brand across the world that is built on the trust of our consumers,” Nivea board member Markus Pinger said in a statement. “We are excited to have Rihanna supporting us in our celebration and building a new generation of fans.”

Nivea began in Hamburg 1911 with the development of the first stable emollient and moisturizing crème containing the emulsifier Eucerit, created by Dr. Oscar Troplowitz, owner of the cosmetics company Beiersdorf AG’s. Over the past century, Nivea has become the world’s largest skin care brand, and is one of four other skincare companies under the Beiersdorf umbrella.



On the music front, Rihanna recently released the video for ‘California King Bed,’ a single off her fifth album, ‘Loud.’ She also finished filming the clip for ‘Man Down’ in Jamaica, however, no release date has been set for the video.