Case Study: Vacation Re-Positions Sunscreen With Retro Campaign

This article, “How Three Friends Built a Multimillion-Dollar Brand by Making Sunscreen Fun Again” (Wall Street Journal, July 19, 2025) provides a mini case study that can be used to launch a fun in-class activity or discussion.

Vacation has revitalized the sunscreen category with a bold repositioning strategy rooted in nostalgia, aesthetic branding, and influencer-friendly design. Rather than leading with health concerns like many traditional sunscreen brands, Vacation taps into the aspirational lifestyle of 1980s leisure—framing sun protection as part of “la buena vida.” Products like sunscreen mousse in whipped cream canisters and reformulated versions of nostalgic favorites are designed for both real-world use and social media virality.

The founders’ background in advertising and retro pop culture helped them build a strong brand identity before they even decided on a product. Their success illustrates how repositioning within a mature category—through unique branding, creative packaging, and strategic distribution—can drive rapid growth. Vacation now ranks in the top 15 U.S. sunscreen brands and is carried by Target, CVS, Nordstrom, and Costco, with retail displays that reflect their fun-first approach.

Relevant Chapters in Essentials of Marketing

Our analysis primarily connects the article with Chapters 4 and 5, but other chapters (7, 9, 15) may be relevant as well (see discussion questions for initial ideas).

• Chapter 4: Focusing Marketing Strategy with Segmentation and Positioning and Chapter 5 Final Consumers and Their Buying  Behavior. This article exemplifies repositioning a product category, targeting specific psychographics (young, nostalgic, social media-savvy consumers), and crafting a compelling brand personality. The product itself doesn’t change much (SPF is SPF), but how it is perceived and used shifts dramatically.
• Chapter 15: Advertising, Publicity, and Sales Promotion – especially Vacation’s use of influencer seeding and aesthetic-focused content strategies.
• Chapter 9: Product Management and New-Product Development – packaging innovation and new product formats (whipped mousse, body mists).

In-Class Activity Ideas

This article might be assigned to students to read before class. Or, the instructor might use the article (and possibly additional research) to generate a short overview lecture that serves as a launching point for one of the following activities. It is pretty easy to find images of Vacation’s promotion efforts that could be placed in a PowerPoint slide.

1. Brand Redesign Workshop. Students choose a mature product category (e.g., bug spray, dental floss) and create a repositioning strategy inspired by Vacation’s retro-fun aesthetic.
2. Positioning Map Creation. Students place various sunscreen brands on a perceptual map (e.g., “serious/clinical” to “fun/aspirational”; “mass-market” to “luxury”) and analyze gaps/opportunities.
3. Influencer Strategy Role-Play. In teams, students develop and present a product seeding strategy to get their brand noticed on TikTok or Instagram.

Discussion Questions with Answer Thoughts

1. What was the core positioning strategy behind Vacation’s success? (Chapter 4) They repositioned sunscreen as a lifestyle and aesthetic experience instead of a medical or health product.
2. What risks come with repositioning sunscreen as “fun” instead of “protective”? (Chapter 4) Potential loss of credibility or trust in the product’s effectiveness, especially if consumers doubt SPF performance.
3. What makes Vacation’s positioning differentiated rather than just different? (Chapter 4) They connect emotionally with a specific lifestyle and reinforce that position across product design, packaging, and promotions.
4. Why is retro branding effective for their target market? (Chapter 4, Chapter 7) It taps into nostalgia for the 1980s and resonates with millennials and Gen Z who appreciate ironic, playful aesthetics.
5. How has consumer behavior shifted to allow brands like Vacation to thrive? (Chapter 1, Chapter 5) Answer: Sunscreen is becoming part of daily skincare routines, not just a summer necessity—enabling new usage occasions and more brand experimentation.
6. How does the company’s product seeding strategy relate to the AIDA model? (Chapter 13) Answer: Seeding raises awareness and interest, while social validation and cool design drive desire and action.
7. How does packaging contribute to Vacation’s marketing mix? (Chapter 9) The whipped cream canister and nostalgic design elements create instant shelf appeal and drive social sharing, reinforcing brand identity.
8. How does Vacation’s use of influencers differ from traditional paid celebrity endorsements? (Chapter 15) They seed product to creators, banking on organic sharing and aesthetic appeal rather than large ad spend.

ChatGPT was used to generate initial ideas for this blog post.