award of merit
mark@thosethatdo.com
THE CHALLENGE:
With a reputation built on decades of dermatological credibility and trust, QV had long been synonymous with sensitive skincare.
But as the category expanded globally, that association was challenged.
Rather than benefiting QV, this growth attracted more multinational brands and niche entrants into the market, challenging QV’s ownership and eroding distinction.
But competitive communications remained fixated on the ideal of perfect and flawless skin and this generic portrayal of sensitive skin as a superficial, topical and cosmetic issue, was the opening QV needed.
QV embraced both care and empathy; really understanding the travails of the sensitive skin sufferer. More than a physical condition, it is also an emotional one with real and far-reaching social consequences.
The brief called for a globally relevant, regionally adaptable platform that could endure long-term, differentiate clearly, and work across both consumer and healthcare audiences.
The opportunity was to move beyond symptom relief and use QV’s understanding of sensitive skin to reclaim perceptual leadership of the category.
THE STRATEGY:
While sensitive skin is often treated as a superficial skin condition, it is experienced as something far more profound. For many sufferers, it shapes confidence, participation and daily life. Life becomes an emotional roller-coaster of anxiety, disappointment, discomfort, embarrassment, lowered self-confidence and social withdrawal. Flare-ups do not simply irritate skin; they impact everyday life. So while our competitors portrayed perfection, we embraced empathy.
In a category under greater scrutiny than ever before and growing ever more competitive, only QV had the genuine understanding of the condition. The opportunity was to harness that understanding in building a new and powerful global brand platform.
Care begins with alleviating discomfort.
It restores confidence.
And ultimately enables living a life unconstrained.
THE CREATIVE & EXECUTION:
“Skincare for Life” provides a long-term and global platform across cultures, channels and audiences, encapsulating both lifelong care and the freedom to participate fully in everyday moments.
Shot in Dubai and embracing cultural diversity, the campaign avoided category clichés of perfect skin. Instead, it featured people confidently participating in meaningful everyday situations: caring for a child, reconnecting after travel, or navigating family relationships.
Supported by a new global brand design framework, the platform rolled out across the Middle East, South-East Asia and China (and more recently Australia/New Zealand) spanning TV, OOH, digital, social, shopper and events.
In a category focused on flawless skin, QV chose something more powerful: enabling people to live comfortably, confidently and with unconstrained freedom.
THE RESULTS:
Despite limited media budgets, QV grew against global competitors with larger budgets:
+8% sales uplift across launch key markets against a backdrop of increased competitive spend (Dec 2025).
South-East Asia media performance 8x target, with YouTube views 1731% above target and bumper impressions 406% above target, plus a +2% uplift across brand health metrics.*
UAE was the only skincare brand to record year-on-year growth across key brand metrics (+5%), including +7% brand consideration.*
QV became the #1 brand in Saudi Arabia across key brand metrics, from awareness to purchase frequency.*
*Kantar Brand Health Review Dec ‘25/Jan ‘2
