When Cetaphil approached us for their Derm on Tour NYC activation, they had one clear goal: create an immersive brand experience that would generate massive amounts of shareable content while educating consumers about their dermatologist-backed skincare line. The challenge? Standing out in a crowded skincare market and getting busy New Yorkers to not just stop by, but actively engage with the brand—while keeping the footprint compact and travel-friendly for a tight NYC venue.
Our solution? A cutting-edge Multi-Camera Array with Artificial Intelligence that transformed a simple photo moment into a cinematic experience—delivered in a compact, travel-friendly rig—worthy of Mariska Hargitay herself: who, as it turns out, loved it so much she stopped by to try it.
The Challenge: Making Skincare Content Cinematic
Cetaphil’s Derm on Tour is a multi-city global pop-up series designed to bring dermatologist expertise directly to consumers through experiential education. For the NYC stop at 210 Lafayette (NYC), they needed an activation that would:
- Generate high-quality, shareable content that felt premium and professional
- Recreate the visual aesthetic of their recent campaign featuring Mariska Hargitay
- Capture valuable consumer data while providing an engaging experience
- Create content that guests would actually want to share (not just take)
Traditional photo booths weren’t going to cut it. They needed something that could deliver the production value of a professional photo shoot with the accessibility and speed of an activation.
The Solution: Virtual Cameras, Real Impact — Compact and Travel-Friendly ✈️
We deployed our Multi-Camera Array with Artificial Intelligence: a system that uses six physical cameras strategically positioned around the guest to generate 30+ virtual camera angles between each physical camera. The result? Every guest got their own personal bullet-time moment, complete with:
Custom Animated Overlay: We created brand-specific graphics that matched Cetaphil’s clean, medical aesthetic while adding dynamic visual interest to every piece of content.
Virtual Camera Technology: Our bullet-time camera array captured guests from multiple angles simultaneously, creating smooth, cinematic content that looked like it belonged in a professional campaign.
AI-Powered Processing: Real-time AI enhanced each capture, ensuring optimal lighting, framing, and output quality regardless of guest positioning or movement.
The setup allowed guests to recreate the exact visual style from Cetaphil’s recent campaign with Mariska Hargitay, giving everyone their moment to feel like the star of their own skincare commercial.
Compact and Travel-Friendly: Fewer Cameras, Smoother Output ✈️
Artificial Intelligence does the heavy lifting. Instead of hauling 20–30 cameras, we travel with six—and use machine learning, optical flow, and depth estimation to create “virtual cameras” between each physical position. The result is smoother motion, cleaner parallax, and fewer gear cases on your load-in.
What that means for your event:
- Smaller footprint that fits tight retail spaces like 210 Lafayette (NYC)
- Faster load-in/load-out and less venue disruption
- Lower shipping and power requirements across multi-city tours
- More consistent output, even when guests move unpredictably
You walk away with cinematic quality and a rig that goes anywhere—without sacrificing the wow factor.
The Experience: When Lines Don’t Stop
From the moment we went live, the activation drew constant crowds. The line was non-stop for hours while the activation was open, with guests eagerly waiting their turn to step into the multi-camera array.
What made the experience so compelling? Each guest created unique and shareable content moments that represented their style and personality in a way that traditional photos simply can’t match. Instead of static images, they walked away with dynamic, cinematic content that showcased both them and the Cetaphil brand in the best possible light.
The real validation came when Mariska Hargitay herself stopped by and tried the activation. Seeing the star of the original campaign recreate her own branded moment using our technology? That’s the kind of organic endorsement you can’t buy.
Our AI photo booth technology ensured that every piece of content met professional standards, with intelligent cropping, color correction, and brand overlay application happening in real-time.
The Results: Numbers That Matter
The numbers from the three-day activation speak for themselves:
- 983 unique pieces of content created
- 1,573 unique shares across social platforms
- 2,107 total views of the generated content
- 768 phone numbers collected for future marketing efforts
But the real impact goes beyond the metrics. Each piece of content served as a micro-advertisement for Cetaphil, with authentic user-generated content that felt premium enough to use in future campaigns.
The 98% share rate (calculated from unique shares vs. unique content pieces) demonstrates that guests didn’t just participate: they actively promoted the brand through their personal networks. When content is this visually striking and personally flattering, sharing becomes automatic.
Why Multi-Camera Arrays Win for Brand Activations
Traditional photo booths capture moments. Multi-camera arrays capture experiences. Here’s why this technology is transforming brand activations:
Instant Production Value: Every guest gets content that looks professionally produced, increasing the likelihood of sharing and extending brand reach.
Differentiated Experience: In a world flooded with standard photos, cinematic multi-angle content stands out in social feeds and captures attention longer.
Data Collection Opportunity: The novelty of the experience makes guests more willing to share contact information in exchange for their premium content.
Brand Alignment: For premium brands like Cetaphil, the quality of the activation content needs to match the quality of the product being promoted.
The Technical Edge: Six Cameras, Endless Possibilities
Our multi-camera system doesn’t just take photos from different angles: it creates a cohesive visual narrative. The AI processing ensures that:
- Color temperature remains consistent across all angles
- Brand overlays integrate seamlessly with the captured content
- Guest positioning is optimized automatically
- Output quality meets social media platform requirements
This technical precision is what allowed Cetaphil to achieve such high engagement rates. When your activation content looks like it belongs in a professional campaign, guests treat it that way.
Beyond the Numbers: Building Brand Affinity
The most valuable outcome of the activation wasn’t the immediate metrics: it was the emotional connection guests formed with the Cetaphil brand. By providing an experience that made them feel special and look great, we created positive brand associations that extend far beyond the three-day event.
When guests share content from your activation, they’re not just sharing a photo: they’re endorsing your brand to their personal network. The quality of that content directly impacts the quality of that endorsement.
Ready to Create Your Own Content-Generating Activation?
The Cetaphil Derm on Tour activation proves that when you combine cutting-edge technology with strategic brand thinking, you don’t just create moments: you create movements. Every guest became a brand ambassador, armed with premium content they were proud to share.
Whether you’re launching a new product, building brand awareness, or simply want to create an unforgettable experience for your audience, our Multi-Camera Array with Artificial Intelligence will help you achieve the kind of results that make executives smile and guests remember your brand long after the event ends.
Ready to generate hundreds of pieces of premium content at your next activation? Contact our team to discuss how we can help your brand create an experience worth sharing. From concept to execution, Studio Z Custom Photo Activations specializes in turning events into content-generating machines that deliver measurable ROI and unforgettable experiences.
View the complete gallery of content from the Cetaphil Derm on Tour NYC activation here.
It’s impressive how Cetaphil combined tech and brand storytelling. The cinematic photo experience with Mariska Hargitay shows how a compact setup can deliver big results, both in terms of quality content and consumer interaction. Definitely an innovative way to engage the NYC crowd.