Whilst aware of the condition, dentists don't prioritise conversations about sensitivity with patients as they don't see it as a serious issue, and when they do recommend Sensodyne, it's only for short term pain relief.

A campaign was needed to change dentist attitudes, behaviours and their treatment advice around sensitivity.

GSK brought to life their new data showing the quality-of-life impact of sensitivity using a patient centric approach with the call to action on all dentist facing pieces being 'these are the realities you can change'. The dentist facing materials were supported by patient facing tactics, designed to start conversations in the clinic.

The result was a range of materials in different mediums, all working together to result in better dentist engagement in the category as a whole, more conversations with their patients about this pain and more recommendations for long term use of Sensodyne.

With a focus on patient realities, the campaign was based around five characters, each suffering from the impacts of sensitivity in different ways. A photoshoot was done to create strong character profiles which feature a key visual to represent the cause of their sensitivity.

To connect the hard data with the patient realities, a compelling statistic from the study has been disguised within the visual, blending into the patient surroundings. Unnoticeable at first glance, these statistics represent the hidden nature of these challenges and when revealed, they force the dentist to consider a problem they were previously unaware of.

These visual approach was reflected though an integrated digital and print campaign, featuring an eSales aid, leave piece, adverts, advertorials, patient-facing posters and a patient leaflet. These materials were seen in a number of settings, are being adapted for use Globally and will continue to be used for the foreseeable future.

The campaign achieved stand out status within the sensitivity category.

This was the first time that dentists had looked at the wider impact of sensitivity. Showing them a mixture of both recognisable and more challenging patient impacts, along with strong supporting statistics, made them think about sensitivity in a new and different way. Most importantly, it gave a compelling reason to recommend Sensodyne for long term use.

Feedback from dentists globally has been overwhelmingly positive, with a number of dentists stating how they strongly related to the characters as they reflected the patients they see in surgery.

“It helps me talk to my patients directly” – Dentist, UK

“I really relate to the characters – these are the patients I see in my surgery” – Dentist, India