Colgate stands up against smile shaming for World Smile Day

Dental hygiene company Colgate is kicking off World Smile Day with the launch of a new campaign, #FreeYourSmile.

The company plans to take a stand against smile shaming and underscore the beauty and importance of all smiles through the campaign. The region-wide campaign kickstarts Colgate’s efforts to tackle this topic for society and drive positive change.

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The campaign was launched after Colgate commissioned an independent study across the APAC region to gain insights and inform initiatives to propel this movement for society to fully gain the benefits of smiling.

The Colgate Smile Study 2023 found that 94% of respondents across the region would like the ability to smile more freely, with the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand jointly topping the list with 98%.

“Smile shame is especially prevalent in the APAC region and this must change. We believe brands have the power to challenge unrealistic beauty standards and promote authenticity,” said Yves Briantais, executive vice president, of marketing APAC, Colgate-Palmolive. “This World Smile Day, Colgate is leading the charge by celebrating all smiles.”

The company plans to spearhead the campaign by adapting its iconic logo to represent the many different and beautiful smiles.

The brand is also collaborating with influencers across the region such as Ethan Kuan from Taiwan and Xixi Lim from Singapore to further champion this cause.  

Additionally, a "Smile generator" AI tool will be introduced on Colgate's website, encouraging users to create a personalised Colgate smile on their socials and spread the message to celebrate all smiles.

Digital out-of-home (OOH) content will further encourage others to join the movement with activities being organised in local markets to further promote the message.

The campaign comes shortly after the company launched a personalised experience zone to encourage HKers to go beyond traditional oral care in August this year. 

The experience zone demonstrates the portfolios of every consumer and provides a personalised oral care experience, in which consumers can experience how they can go beyond traditional oral care by leveraging new electric products to build up a sophisticated oral care routine.

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