The Sweet Truth highlighted the peculiar night-time habit of millions of Indians. The film shows how most Indians end their night with dessert and therefore leave the door open for cavities. It showcases people from different walks of life happily brushing their teeth with ‘sweets’, culminating in a message about how millions of Indians end their night with sugar, and not ‘toothpaste’.

These arresting visuals made a powerful argument for a much more important habit – brushing before bed with toothpaste, thus reducing the risk of cavities.

The simple act of brushing at night can cut the chances of cavities by 50%. Yet, 80% of Indians still didn’t adopt this habit, causing 9 out of 10 to wake up to cavities. For the small percentage that did brush at night, the step was a reactive one, often triggered by dentist recommendations in response to serious oral issues.

There was, however, one habit that Indians did enthusiastically practice each night – eating dessert post dinner, making sweets the last thing they’d put on their teeth, increasing the risk of cavities.

Colgate, the leading dental care expert, wanted to hold up the mirror to India’s post dinner habits in a way that would make them take notice. The goal was to spark a 10% behaviour shift in the adoption of night brushing and gain an additional brand volume growth of 3%, as compared to the previous year.

To say that India loves sweets would be an understatement. To say it accounts for over 35% of the global sweet consumption would be more accurate. Sweets are the quintessential way to celebrate all cultural, religious and family events. Even Indian festivals are incomplete without exchanging and eating sweets.

But that doesn’t mean Indians need an occasion to indulge their sweet tooth. For them, the day feels incomplete without biting into sweets. To the extent that dessert post dinner has become a tradition of its own. One thing that hasn’t, however, is brushing after that.

Shockingly, 80% of Indians still don’t brush at night – a simple act that would cut the risk of cavities by half. No wonder 9 out 10 Indians suffer from cavities, making dental issues a ‘silent epidemic’.

What’s interesting is that despite being aware that sweets are bad for their teeth, Indian’s felt that simply rinsing their mouth with water would provide sufficient protection, underestimating the true gravity of the consequences.

As the leading dental care expert, Colgate wanted to show them the reality of their own habits, in a way that was as hard to ignore as the sweets in their fridge. And the only way India’s dental health would improve, was if brushing with toothpaste post dinner became a nightly ritual.

Being the market leader in the oral care category, it was fitting for Colgate to lead the charge in adding brushing to India’s night routine. Through this campaign, the brand witnessed a 25% positive behaviour change in the inclusion of night brushing into daily routines. In addition to that, it also garnered:

• 92 million total YouTube views

• 1,50,000 interactions

• 300 million total reach (TV and digital)

We also witnessed a noticeable surge in internet searches related to night brushing, showing heightened consumer interest and curiosity.