Tag: Oral Health

Indonesia – Unilever’s oral care brand Pepsodent, together with creative firm MullenLowe Lintas Indonesia, has launched its latest campaign, “Behind Every Smile of Indonesia,” which emphasises the transformational potential of a smile amid difficult circumstances. It reflects Pepsodent’s long-standing dedication to reducing health diseases and promoting universal dental access.

The campaign highlights authentic portrayals of Indonesians’ tenacity and fortitude, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak and difficult economic times. These tales demonstrate how smiles, which are a symbol of oral health, can bring people together to overcome challenges and share happiness. 

In one tale, an old woman overcame hardships to maintain her little shop open, motivated by the kind gestures and cheery smiles of youngsters. The arrival of the Pepsodent team, who were providing free dental check-ups and oral care protection, and the encouragement they received from the community also feature in another story about a fisherman in a distant place. 

In Indonesia, Pepsodent has taught almost 25 million kids about dental health. In order to improve the dental and oral health of two million schoolchildren and students nationwide, Pepsodent carried out its “Healthy Smile Indonesia” campaign in 2024. The program included tele-dentistry services and instruction on dental care during fasting. 

Speaking about the campaign, Distya Tarworo Endri, head of marketing oral care & professional marketing at Unilever Indonesia, said, “Pepsodent firmly believes in the significance of every smile and the essential role it plays in our lives. Regardless of challenges like poor oral health or tough times, we remain dedicated to enabling smiles that radiate health and hope. For 90 years, Pepsodent has been at the forefront, championing healthier smiles and empowering communities. It’s our privilege to continue this journey of making dental health accessible to all.” 

Meanwhile, Bellamia Agustina, growth director, MullenLowe Lintas Indonesia, stated, “For 90 years, Pepsodent has stood by Indonesians, enriching their lives and fostering genuine connections. These stories of community solidarity underscore the brand’s commitment to uplifting communities and promoting oral health for all. Through Behind Every Smile of Indonesia campaign, we celebrate Pepsodent’s legacy of making a meaningful difference in the lives of ordinary Indonesians, empowering them to face challenges with confidence and a bright smile.” 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Oral care brand Listerine in Malaysia together with Reprise, IPG Mediabrands’ performance marketing agency, has launched a new campaign titled, “Mulut Kosong Kosong: Mulut Sihat, Raya Penuh Berkat” (Clean Mouth: Healthy Mouth, Raya Full of Blessings), which aims to incorporate practical tips such as using mouthwash to improve healthy eating practises. The new campaign is in fact its special commemoration for the Ramadan and Raya festive period. 

The digital campaign features a series of three short films to personify attributes of a healthy mouth and encourage Malaysians to practice good oral care throughout Ramadan and help them attain a healthy mouth. The three short films also showcase different people’s unique personalities in celebrating Ramadan. The first personality is ‘Foodie Mouth’ the one who eats everything during Ramadan without any concern towards oral health, second personality is ‘Sweet Mouth’ the one who is the centre of attention because of good oral health and her dazzling smile, and lastly, Onion mouth, used colloquially, as someone who enjoys socialising and gossiping about others and confident about her oral health.

The overall campaign message is to keep a healthy mouth that is free of germs (‘kosong kosong’).

Kim Chew, client service director of Reprise, said the campaign was inspired by Malaysians who love a play on words. In this instance, the word mouth (mulut) is used alongside to provide a unique personality for each ‘mouth’ character, typical characters one would find around the Ramadan/ Raya dining table. 

“We wanted to personify attributes of a healthy mouth to encourage Malaysians to practice good oral care throughout Ramadan and help them attain a healthy mouth (mulut sihat),” Chew said.

Chew added, “Getting the mouths just right was extremely tricky but fun at the same time. When casting, we carefully identified actors in a very minute way. Interestingly, the actors too needed a few rounds of practice to get the right nuances of expression, limited to just the mouth, lips, tongue and teeth. We also worked closely with a very talented makeup artist who painted the characters very attractively. Essentially, the mouth becomes the body and the face simultaneously!”

As part of the campaign, an Instagram filter contest was launched, with a prize for the best responses to nosy questions asked during Raya celebrations. Users can record their best comebacks, manners in mind, along with the hashtag #MulutKosongKosong on Instagram reels. 

Meanwhile, Tracy Foo Swee Ki, senior brand manager of Listerine, commented, “Personifying the different personalities in this way, and really giving them characters, beyond just the verbal narrative was extremely important. The mouth is the main feature of the shots, and the Reprise team took great care to provide the right treatments to highlight mouths in a non-offensive, truly appealing way. 

“The message we want to leave you with is that swishing twice a day with Listerine doesn’t just help to keep your breath fresh, it helps you enjoy Raya with a cleaner, healthier mouth,” Ki adds.

The company also worked with sister agency Universal McCann, and key opinion leaders to engaged to drive the campaign message. The film was made available on all digital platforms.