The Ordinary Mock Campaign
As a part of my acceptance into PROMO, an advertising course within U.Va.'s McIntire School of Commerce, I was tasked with creating a mock campaign for a brand of my choice. This class emulates a real advertising agency, where we will create and budget six unique campaigns for a real corporate sponsor throughout the course of the year.
Below is my creative process illustrated by the development of a pop-up coffee shop campaign for The Ordinary, inspired by their 2025 Egg Campaign.
"Tell us about an advertising campaign that you think is effective and explain why."
The Ordinary, a skincare brand that prides itself on minimalism and transparency, launched a unique marketing campaign in 2025 involving, to the surprise of many, eggs. The “ordinarily priced” eggs were an unsubtle jab at the sharp rise in egg prices at time, which had spiked to $8.17 per dozen in early March (Carrara).
As the eggs were distributed throughout New York, The Ordinary was met with heaps of online praise and amusement. This campaign was successful not only due to the sheer unconventionality of the launch, but because it aligned with The Ordinary’s existing position as a “no fuss” and affordable brand and thus developed a stronger sense of trust within its client base.
Source: Carrara, Alessandro. “The Ordinary Fights Soaring Us Egg Prices with ‘ordinarily Priced’ Cartons.” Cosmetics Business, cosmeticsbusiness.com/the-ordinary-fights-soaring-us-egg-prices-with. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
"Develop a creative execution that extends the campaign you described.
Explain how you arrived at this execution and how it fits with the existing campaign."
My extension of The Ordinary’s infamous egg campaign manifests as a coffee stand pop-up using a similar logic as the original stunt. Piggybacking off the initial ideas of affordability, this pop-up considers other goods that have become less attainable because of recent economic conditions. Activities such as buying coffee out at a cafe are less common as ordinary people try to cut their personal spending. Even when people do buy coffee out, it is often understood as a “treat” rather than a necessity. Recent concerns about coffee bean scarcity due to climate change also introduce sustainability as another theme around the campaign.
In addition to the themes of the pop-up aligning with The Ordinary’s existing principles of low-cost products and sustainable glass packaging, the overall aesthetic of the event should match as well. This event features a branded coffee cart, with a self-serve station of syrup bottles that mimic The Ordinary’s glass bottles. Like their dropper bottles, these syrups will list the ingredients, which would of course be minimal to further drive their no-fuss philosophy. A simple Instagram and Twitter post announcing the event would suffice, as this event would create a similar air of virality as the original and garner plenty of free online publicity.
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