Turning Sunscreen Into a Lifestyle Brand: Lessons from Roy Fleeman

In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Brittaney Kiefer sits down with Roy Fleeman to explore how Vacation transformed sunscreen from a functional necessity into an immersive lifestyle brand. 

Roy shares how the team uses nostalgia, sensory design, and meticulous attention to detail to create products that feel joyful and collectible. They discuss why brands should be informed by trends without being defined by them, how packaging can become a powerful storytelling tool, and why designing every customer touchpoint matters.

From fragrances and campaign concepts to shipping experiences and social content, Roy reveals how Vacation builds cultural relevance by creating moments that customers want to share, remember, and revisit long after their vacation-inspired purchase.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to reposition a commodity category by identifying emotional gaps
• The “This Not That” design framework for authentic brand differentiation
• Why broad nostalgia outperforms decade-specific retro aesthetics
• How to weaponize packaging inconsistency as a collectibility strategy
• The power of hyper-specific moment marketing to drive product narrative
• How to design every touchpoint as an immersive brand experience

About the Guest:

Roy Fleeman is VP of Design at Vacation, the leisure-enhancing sunscreen brand that’s revolutionizing how consumers think about sun protection. With a background in advertising and brand design, Roy has spearheaded Vacation’s distinctive visual identity, transforming sunscreen from a clinical necessity into a coveted lifestyle product through meticulously crafted packaging, nostalgic aesthetics, and immersive brand experiences.