Cetaphil's Super Bowl ad raises questions on authenticity; brand clarifies

A TikTok creator had accused the brand of copying her content.

Cetaphil's recent Super Bowl ad touched the hearts of many, showing a sweet moment between a father and his daughter. In the ad titled 'Game Time Glow', the daughter initially ignores her dad's attempts to chat about sports.

However, the dynamic changes when the daughter hears a sports announcer mention Taylor Swift, sparking her interest. Swift, an international superstar who has sparked quite a few conversations for her association with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, becomes a common ground for the father and daughter.

The advertisement concludes with the pair bonding over a football game, wearing jerseys with significant numbers related to Swift, and sporting friendship bracelets reminiscent of Swift's "The Eras Tour" trend.

Despite its warm reception, the ad faced friction when TikTok creator Sharon Mbabazi accused Cetaphil of copying her content. Mbabazi, whose content revolves around bonding with her white stepfather over sports, claimed similarities between her videos and the advertisement.

The brand has since responded, explaining they were unaware of Mbabazi's content during the ad's creation and reached out to her to address the issue. They acknowledged her contribution to the trend but maintained that their campaign was inspired by a broader cultural phenomenon.

In an update on TikTok, Mbabazi confirmed that Cetaphil had acknowledged her content and taken steps to resolve the matter. The brand emphasised their commitment to originality while recognising the influence of social media trends.