From March 7-8, skincare brand No7 stopped traffic on International Drive, one of the busiest roads in Orlando, with a bright green, double-decker bus. No7 took over a Walgreens parking lot in the heart of the Orlando Entertainment District with its Derm Solutions Skin Rehab Tour bus, which is traveling around the country to introduce U.S. consumers to the UK brand’s newest line of products.
Orlando marked the tour’s sixth stop, coinciding with the American Academy of Dermatology Association’s Annual Meeting, held at the Orange County Convention Center down the street, where No7 also exhibited. After touring Louisiana and several cities in Florida, the bus will pull into Chicago, its final location, March 21-22. But while the No7 bus was in town, we hopped on to test the brand’s new Derm Solutions cleansers and moisturizers for ourselves, and interact with several skincare-focused stations.
Brand ambassadors in No7 lab coats greeted us in front of the bus and brought us in for a complimentary, personalized skin screening. Inside, we sat on couches built into the back of the bus with a BA who walked us through a digital questionnaire on skincare and lifestyle habits before she put a No7 Pro Derm Scan device up to our face for some really close-up photos. We got to see our ultra-magnified pores and skin texture and received recommendations for the Derm Solutions products to try, which the BA marked on a flyer.
At large touchscreen panels, we took a skin type quiz with three questions: “After cleansing your face, how does your skin feel?”; “Is your skin dry, itchy or red?”; and “Is your skin shiny in some areas and dry in others?” As expected, we came away with a combination skin result that matched the Pro Derm Scan analysis. Underneath the touchscreens were four numbered, vertical sliding doors, and the on-screen results listed which doors to open to discover your suggested cleanser and moisturizer (we opened doors three and four).
Next to the quiz station was an “Our Ingredients” wall with five adaptogens displayed in whimsical bubbles that could be spun around. On the opposite wall, “Share Your Skincare Story” invited attendees to pick up a stylus and write on digital green sticky notes lined up on a big screen, answering prompts like “What does healthy skin look like to you?” and “In one word, describe your skin.”
We then headed up to the second floor via a spiral staircase to The Hydration Bar, stocked with adaptogen-enriched mocktails like a lime margarita and classic cosmo. A local board-certified dermatologist was on hand to chat and answer any skincare questions, and attendees could try their recommended Derm Solutions products, along with serums and creams from No7’s other skincare lines, at a sink with running water and check the results in mirrors adorned with “Derm Approved” messaging. We tried the products on our hands, but some attendees went all in with face washing.
On our way out, we stopped at the photo booth set up in the bus driver’s seat, which offered the option to capture a still image or rapid-fire photos to create a GIF. Attendees who shared a photo or video from the pop-up on Instagram Stories with the @no7usa tag were entered to win a No7 skincare fridge to store their beauty products.
Lastly, as participants emerged from the experience, brand ambassadors handed out branded totes with No7 product samples and coupons, and Walgreens was just across the way for consumers interested in purchasing full-size versions. Location, location, location. (Agency: WPP)
