Vaseline: Transition Body Lotion

The Challenge

Vaseline's brand mission is to give everybody healthy skin, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender. But when the agency looked at the needs of transitioning transgender women, who experience specific skin issues due to hormonal changes, there was a clear gap: no skincare product existed to address them. The brief called for a brand-building campaign, but the team saw an opportunity to go further.

The Strategy

Rather than responding with a communications solution, Ogilvy proposed a new product. Working in authentic collaboration with the transgender influencer community from the very beginning, the team co-created the world's first clinically proven skincare product designed specifically for transgender women: Vaseline Pro-Derma Transition Body Lotion. The community had a voice at every stage, from development through to launch.

The Work

The campaign ensured that the transgender community was represented not just in the marketing but in the product itself. Influencer partnerships were built on genuine collaboration rather than endorsement, and the launch was supported across TikTok and other platforms with content that felt deeply authentic to the community it was created with.

Results

The Transition Body Lotion trended on X, generated high earned impressions, and achieved 100% positive sentiment. Brand association, favourability, and recall all exceeded benchmarks significantly, and purchase intent surged far above benchmark. The lotion sold out in many stores and is now a permanent product in Vaseline's range.

The Judges' Verdict

“By ensuring the community it served had a voice throughout the entire process, Vaseline and Ogilvy demonstrated what authentic brand purpose looks like in action.”