Haleon hit the streets of New York on Wednesday to encourage folks to shop for their favorite health products — with a twist.

The consumer health company that oversees brands like Advil, Tums and Centrum unveiled its “stealth shopping” campaign, inviting shoppers to pick up health goodies hidden in plain sight at its pop-up. 

But why did Haleon launch this stealth shopping effort? What even is stealth shopping anyways?

Well, according to recent consumer shopping research conducted by the company, nearly half of Millennial shoppers engage in stealth shopping behavior — meaning they buy and conceal their purchases from their partners, friends and families. 

Consumers will sometimes stash items in their cars, closets or under the bed rather than showing those closest to them. The company’s research also found that more than half of shoppers buy their health products unplanned and admit to feeling secret joy after buying it. 

Marissa Solan, the director of U.S. external communications at Haleon, said that based on these newfound consumer shopping patterns, the brand team was enthusiastic about launching a campaign leaning into the trend.

“We’ve seen videos on Tiktok and Instagram about it, and thought it would be a fun way to connect with customers and get them their health products,” Solan said. 

The popup, which ran for six hours in the Lower East Side, featured Haleon brand ambassadors who handed out essential products from leading healthcare product lines. 

The brand ambassadors chatted with customers about the products and underscored the importance of taking care of themselves. 

“We want people to come away feeling excited about our brands,” Solan said. “We want our brands to connect with people in a way that’s relatable to them.”

She also added that the company wanted to create a feel-good moment where people find “that perfect thing that they didn’t necessarily need but wanted.” 

Beyond the in-person live event activation, the campaign also aimed to increase interaction with brands and consumers on social media. 

After picking up their goodies, brand ambassadors encouraged people to interact with Haleon brands online. 

“Each of the brands are supporting their own engagement on social media,” she said. “We want to embrace people who want to engage with us.”