A reported 40% of children have untreated dental disease in NSW. That amounts to many mouths that need attention. What makes matters worse is the perpetual battle parents have with their children, as they nag them to brush and protect their teeth for the future. Children often adopt selective hearing or miss the message entirely; after all, a child’s brain is not yet built to understand long-term consequence. At times, it would seem that parents and children are speaking very different languages.

It is no wonder that leading oral care brand Colgate briefed us to find a new way to help raise awareness of oral health and protection, amongst families.

And that’s exactly what we did.

We created common understanding between parents and children by leveraging a language they both use to communicate; the language of sport. We then identified a popular footy team in the NRL that is already invested in a better future for children- The South Sydney Rabbitohs. The fact that unprotected teeth are continually knocked out during their high contact games made the partnership a perfect fit.

With $55k, we did not have the luxury of big media sponsorship, however, we knew that if we could make our way into the heart of the game, where teeth are highly vulnerable, we would be delivering an authentic message that would create a natural conversation starter.

We invented a media channel that couldn’t get closer to the teeth protection message if it tried. Colgate branded mouthguards were created and worn by the Rabbitohs during their most important matches in the season. Colgate’s protection benefits were demonstrated in one of the toughest sporting arenas in the country. Every time a player took a hit, scored a try, or flashed a winning grin, Colgate smiled along with them, protecting their pearly whites.

The idea was such a success that the public and media chose to share it extensively. A total of $492,834 earned in TV and press media, which is 8 times unpaid coverage relative to spend was achieved. Unpaid media gain meant at least 6 million people were exposed to the campaign on and off the field, and children were requesting Colgate branded mouthguards for purchase. Adding to this success is the fact that at least 11.5m NRL viewers could see the mouthguards as they watched their favourite matches live on TV throughout the season.

The idea was organically tweeted by Rabbitohs club owner and celebrity Russell Crowe and has also been immortalised at Madame Tussauds Sydney, which features a wax figurine of player Greg Inglis wearing his Colgate Mouthguard.

Now that kind of awareness is definitely something to smile about.