COPPERTONE

Two New Franchises. One Dominant Brand.

Coppertone was already iconic. But iconic doesn't mean untouchable — and the sunscreen category was evolving fast.

I revitalized the brand by originating two category-defining product franchises: WaterBabies and Sport. Each had its own distinct consumer, its own visual identity, and its own reason to exist — but together they expanded Coppertone's relevance far beyond its original footprint, speaking to parents protecting their kids and athletes pushing their limits in ways the brand never had before.

The strategic centerpiece of WaterBabies was a decision that sounds simple in hindsight: I brought Coppertone's beloved "Little Girl and Dog" logo out of retirement and placed it prominently on the new product line. That image hadn't been actively used in years — but it carried decades of earned trust, warmth, and instant recognition with parents. Putting it on a product designed specifically to protect babies and young children wasn't nostalgia. It was precision. The moment that logo appeared on the WaterBabies package, parents knew exactly what it stood for and why they could trust it. The shelf recognition was immediate. The acceptance was instant.

The result was $163M in annual revenue growth and Coppertone's transformation into the dominant sunscreen market leader — not by reinventing the brand, but by knowing which pieces of it were too powerful to leave on the shelf.

Sometimes the most important creative decision isn't what you invent. It's what you know to bring back.