In this interview with Sarvesh Raikar, Regional Creative Director at Lowe Lintas, the creative gives us an in-depth look at Pepsodent’s new campaign. Through an innovative communication strategy, Pepsodent seeks to change the narrative from WHAT to do to WHY to do it in terms of oral health. Raikar shares exclusive details about the challenges, creative elements and objectives of the campaign.
Changing the Oral Health Narrative
Pepsodent has decided to change the traditional approach to oral hygiene from simply telling people WHAT to do to explaining WHY it is important to do it. According to Sarvesh Raikar, “The act of rewarding a child with candy has always been perceived as harmless, kind and noble. Someone had to blow the whistle and expose the truth: for every good deed, we are potentially rewarding our children with tooth decay. This provides a renewed and refreshed context for why advanced caries protection is needed.”
Cultural Challenges
Indian culture is deeply rooted in the consumption of sweets, which presented a significant challenge for the campaign. Raikar explains, “Sweets are an inherent part of Indian culture. Every occasion, every region has its own sweet. The point to highlight was not to ‘stop eating sweets’ or challenge the culture or traditions, but to effectively communicate that one should take extra care and avoid cavities by following good dental habits and using the right toothpaste.”
Creative Elements
To make the caries prevention message resonate with the Indian audience, humor was used strategically. Raikar notes, “Humor was the biggest element employed; in fact, it was the act of gifting drills to a child (the metaphor of gifting cavities to a child). The communication had the enormous task of getting India to review its behavior, something we have all been doing with reckless abandon. The metaphor had to be as impactful as the habit itself. The drill was the perfect choice.”
Campaign Goals
Pepsodent has set both short-term and long-term goals with this campaign. “Pepsodent eventually wants to create a world of harmony with sweets: eat them, but never forget to take care of cavity-causing germs. The short-term goal is to acknowledge the fact that it’s almost impossible; children can’t stay away from sweets, so it’s our responsibility to choose the right toothpaste,” Raikar comments.
Measuring Success
To measure the success of the campaign, Pepsodent has adopted the ‘WIMI’ (‘Win in Many Indias’) approach. Raikar explains, “The idea is to test it in the East and, once successful, apply the learnings to other audiences across India. We are dealing with an age-old habit; the first step is to generate awareness: making people realize that their rewards could be dangerous for a child is a huge task in itself.”
Pepsodent’s campaign, backed by Lowe Lintas, is revolutionizing the way oral hygiene is perceived in India. Through innovative strategies and a culturally sensitive approach, they are getting consumers to rethink their habits and prioritize oral health, creating a lasting impact on the community.