Reality dating shows are thriving in Australia and Vaseline has used their power to launch its new Body Oil range. The series, The Afterglow, by Aussie indie, REBORN, is the latest example of Unilever’s shifting focus from traditional campaign formats to entertainment-led content.

The five-part series, that launched 3 March this year, follows a cast featuring some of Australia’s favourite new reality personalities and creators as they test their chemistry and take part in a series of fun challenges built around Vaseline’s new hydrating body oils. The 1~ 3 minute episodes have over 8 million reach with 36 million impressions across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

Hosted by Tyra Johannes, winner of Love Island Australia Season 5, the series features ex-MAFS and ex-Love Island Australia alumni, Eliot Donovan, Gabby McCarthy, Alex Haye, and Beth Kelly; alongside Elke Kahler, Jake Vella, SkylerHart and Jess Curmi.

The range is integrated into the show through challenges centred on physical connection and confidence. Rather than traditional product placement, the body oil serves as the catalyst for physical chemistry and that ever-desirable ‘glow’. The approach places the product within behaviour and culture, rather than relying on messaging alone.

REBORN CEO David Easton, commented, “Love them boldly or as a guilty secret, reality shows are a format that keeps Aussies glued to their screens. With The Afterglow, we want to earn attention by delivering the kind of drama and levity that people are looking for when they scroll. You can’t expect audiences to engage with a hard sell upfront. The series is structured to build engagement first, with the product story becoming more explicit in later episodes. The results speak to the success of this approach: we achieved an average View-Through Rate of 10.8%, more than double the benchmark of 5.2%. More importantly, as audiences became invested in the narrative, that engagement skyrocketed, with episode four peaking at over 19%.”

Yin Hong Yeo, regional marketing manager at Unilever, added, “Beauty advertising needs to hold attention for longer to achieve cut-through. The Afterglow taps into the cultural appeal of reality dating formats, placing the product within a world audiences already engage with, through emotive interactions and skincare prep moments that make the product the hero without ever feeling like an ad.”

The project builds on REBORN’s previous branded episodic content work with Unilever, the JIF MessMaster micro-series.

Credits:
Client: Unilever (Vaseline)
Regional Marketing Manager: Yin Hong Yeo
Assistant Marketing Manager: Phoebe Aguilar
Unilever International Head of ANZ: Nabomita Bagchi

Creative Agency: REBORN
Senior Account Director: Vici Page
Group Account Director: Shailei Forrester
Head of Connected Experiences: Nate Norrish
Creative: Pia Easton
Senior Copywriter: Eric Franken
Producer & Editor: Sam Edwards
Talent & Content Manager: Stephanie Sison Cruz
Senior Motion Graphics Artist: Joseph Hoh
Social Media Manager: Laura Moran
Founder & CEO: David Easton

Production Company: Mos & Co
Media Agency: Mindshare
Media Planning Senior Manager: Huong Dam
Media Performance Manager: Bao Le