Pepsodent firmly believes that every smile matters, and nothing should come between people and a full set of pearly-whites – especially not easily-preventable issues like cavities.

To address the rising incidence of tooth decay and cavities amongst children in Indonesia, Pepsodent sought to educate parents and children that snacks can cause cavities – a problem easily avoided by using its anti-cavity toothpaste.

Cavities can be traced back to the simple sugars in food – a simple truth that, when given a creative twist, means the food we eat can end up eating away at our teeth.

Using a clean and simple visual execution, we bring this to life in an eye-catching manner that reveals the source of the cavity upon closer inspection.

In line with Pepsodent’s approach of inculcating good oral care habits from an early age, we adopted a clean, 2D graphic style with simple visual elements to bring across the idea in a visually-appealing and easily-understandable manner for all ages. This graphical approach also clearly differentiated the series from traditional talent- and product-heavy ads in the oral care segment.

Grounded in modern simplicity, block colours and basic shapes were applied to retain the simplicity of the idea and add a touch of innocent, childlike charm. Despite leaning towards a graphical style, the placement of the cavities and form of the teeth were true to reality.

The series was placed in schools and dental clinics, providing a bright, fun splash of colours in places that are often overly-sterile, intimidating and depressing to children.

The series found a way to enhance Pepsodent’s family-friendly brand personality with a visual approach and tonality that struck a chord with children and parents alike. Moving away from dated and homogeneous communications rampant in the segment, the series made oral care messaging inviting and interesting, while finding a friendly way to deliver a familiar reminder in a new, interesting way.

The visuals also made it easier for parents to gain the attention of their children and engage them in much-needed conversations about the importance of picking up good dental care practices at an early age.