How Colgate and VML Turned a Smile into a Superpower

‘My Smile Is My Superpower’ is the latest campaign from Colgate and VML New York, aiming to remind people – and especially gen z – that their own smile, no matter the size, shape or shade, is beautiful. While the platform involves wild posting, painted murals, Twitch streams, night projections on iconic New York buildings and more, it’s all being kicked off with a music video - a cover of Katy Perry’s empowering anthem ‘Roar’ that uses the unique tooth gap whistle as its main instrument.

'The Beauty of Gaps’ is directed by Somesuch director, Alfred Marroquín, and is a joyously defiant response to the brand’s research that showed how the ‘perfect’ portrayal of teeth in today’s media landscape left 65% of gen-z respondents feeling that their confidence was impacted negatively, and 85% wanting to change their smiles.

Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, VML’s global CCO for Colgate-Palmolive, Fred Saldanha, delves behind the scenes on the campaign that earned over four billion impressions in its first week, discussing the “pretty scary” self-confidence pressures youths face today, and helping people make up for lost smiles.

LBB> Colgate believes in celebrating differences – how have you helped them celebrate with their previous marketing? How does this new campaign fit in with the existing platform/work?

Fred> Representation is crucial, especially for a global brand like Colgate. That's why we've been very thorough in casting for our campaigns. People need to see themselves and identify with our stories. More recently, we even personalised the smile that's part of the Colgate logo in various forms, including gaps, chips, wonky angles and braces. For Colgate, there isn't an idea of one single perfect smile. The most beautiful smile is the one you own. This is the brand's DNA.

LBB> Where did the ‘My Smile Is My Superpower’ line come from? 

Fred> During the creative process, we bumped into a cool insight: While society may view gap teeth as a flaw, they can actually give you a unique ability to whistle. That's when we realised we'd found something meaningful. Besides a contagious smile, the gap gives you another superpower: You can whistle like nobody else. Boom! That's it. And the idea of a music video was born.

LBB> Actress Uzo Aduba is also involved in the campaign? What did she bring with her own experience with tooth gap confidence?

Fred> Uzo added so much value because she truly embodies the campaign concept, bringing authenticity to the message. In one interview, Uzo recounted how much she struggled in the past, especially during adolescence, because of her prominent gap. But then she reflected: "And now, I'm making up for all my lost smiles." That's simply beautiful.  

LBB> The spot’s soundtracked by a whistle cover of Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ – why was that the song you chose? How did you bring it to life?

Fred> We never had an alternative. I know, crazy. I was terrified that we wouldn't secure the rights, which could easily end the campaign. But ‘Roar’ is an empowerment anthem about feeling strong and not letting anyone bring you down. It encourages kids to believe in themselves and stand up for what they believe in, which is why it was the perfect song for this campaign.

We replaced the lyrics with whistling — a universal language in itself — yet retained all the empowerment through the melody and chord progression. Regarding the whistles, we wanted to maintain each one's uniqueness and how they could create such a contagious and diverse song.

LBB> Why were Alfred Marroquín and Somesuch the ideal production partners? Were you on set at all? If so, what did you learn or enjoy from that experience?

Fred> Alfred has the experience of directing superstars like Billie Eilish, Post Malone, and Rosalía, but he also has the sensitivity to bring out the best in each kid in our cast and make them feel like rock stars. The sense of empowerment that the campaign promised began on the set itself among all the kids. It was touching to see how much this message meant to them. There was an explosion of joy with every take.

LBB> The hero film is very celebratory, full of people being free, active and happy. What were some of the key ideas and visuals that went into that? 

Fred> The music video was always about celebrating without being preachy, victimising anyone or pointing fingers. That was always clear and stayed the same during the production process. We also knew that we wanted to highlight the differences, which many people may see as ‘imperfections’. We played around with the typography, mixing the Colgate font with another font. And, of course, we played with the song itself. Each whistle sounds differently for the same reason.

LBB> Addressing beauty standards, especially concerning the youth, can be a difficult and sensitive task. How did you ensure the insights and representation were accurate and positive?

Fred> A lot of research went into this. We know that today's media landscape tends to tell a different story, as most online and TV personalities boast nearly identical sets of straight, gleaming teeth with no gaps. But the reality is that 65% of gen z reported that pressure to have a perfect smile negatively impacts their confidence, and 85% would like to change their smiles. Pretty scary, isn't it?

LBB> What was the hardest challenge you faced on this campaign, and how did you overcome it? And equally, what was the most fulfilling aspect? 

Fred> I guess the biggest challenge was that the campaign was entirely different from what the brand had always done, with a media plan centred around a music video, wild posting, painting murals, Twitch streams, night projections on iconic NYC buildings, personal stories, etc. The results in the first week have been staggering, reaching more than four billion impressions. Despite these results, the most fulfilling aspect has been seeing people's reactions, the comments on social media, and the sense of belonging and representation that this campaign has brought to many, many kids out there.