Parents want their children to avoid painful trips to the dentist by getting them to clean their teeth properly. But for many, trying to brush their kids' teeth can mean a battle in the bathroom. So mums often avoid tantrums by not cleaning their children's teeth.
Aquafresh was launching two kids toothpastes - Little Teeth (for three to five-year-olds) and Big Teeth (for six to nine-year-olds) - to add to its existing Milk Teeth toothpaste (one to three-year-olds). The client wanted to help mums win the bedtime battle, rather than simply flog them toothpaste.
With a budget of £600,000, MediaCom set out to create "ownable positive experiences" to help mums bond with their children before they got to the bathroom. This required activity that would entertain and educate mums and kids on good oral care in a fun way. The agency came up with the idea to engage parents and children while they watched TV before bedtime.
MediaCom developed a set of characters called the Nurdles, which had only appeared on Aquafresh packs, bringing them to life beyond the packaging. The agency decided the characters could teach children about teeth cleaning in an entertaining manner. The concept came to fruition through a collaboration between agency, client and Turner Broadcasting.
A 90-second film called The Nurdle Schmurdle was produced and broadcast every night at 6.58pm on Cartoonito. The film featured the Nurdles and a group of kids demonstrating how to brush teeth properly, while singing a toothbrushing song and dance that mums and kids were encouraged to perform at home.
The content was streamed onto the Cartoonito website, enabling parents to download the song. The Nurdles also appeared across other media: they featured in a broadcast vox-pop ad, made appearances at London Zoo, visited supermarkets and starred in their own storybook. They also made monthly appearances in advertorials in BBC magazines.
Aquafresh became the number one brand in the UK toothpaste market. The kids toothpaste market increased £2.2m within one year and the Aquafresh kids range contributed a massive £2.1m to that total.
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