Now, the brand is back with a fresh campaign that blends its signature wit and visual flair with a message tailored to today’s generation.
CNBC-TV18 caught up with Prasoon Joshi, CEO & CCO of McCann Worldgroup India, and Nikhil Sharma, MD of Perfetti Van Melle, to talk about the creative revival, the enduring power of storytelling, and what lies ahead for one of India’s most celebrated advertising icons.
Below is the excerpt of the discussion.
Q: I’d really like to start at the very beginning, the genesis. Take me back to the early 2000s, to the launch of Happydent. The creative idea that started a whole journey of storytelling has evolved through the years. Take me back to that first campaign ad for Happydent, because McCann has been a brand custodian right from the start. We don’t see that often, an agency and a brand sticking together that long. Let’s go back to those early years.
Joshi: I think Happydent is one of the rare brands that has been very consistent and built on ideas. It’s not that Happydent didn’t try the regular, formulaic advertising route. When you’re referring to those earlier days, the marketing people came from fantastic institutions, and they had what we now call data, though even back then, we had data in the form of case studies that you study in management school. You come in, apply them, and assume it will work.
In this case, my belief right from the beginning was, even when we were doing some formulaic work, the typical “before and after” kind of approach, that chewing gum in a nation that eats supari… It’s not like people are obsessed with the idea that you’ll get a date or have a fantastic evening because of clean teeth. That’s a miss. We believe in dental hygiene, sure, but we also have a very different cultural meaning to it.
So, I felt, let’s get into a fantastical world filled with humour and imagination. We created a world where a photographer’s assistant is used as a lightbulb, or someone is employed in a chandelier as a human light source. That exaggerated, whimsical world is what we created. And I must thank Perfetti, Nikhil was younger at the time, but the whole team, they believed in that kind of storytelling.
It was a kind of storytelling the world hadn’t seen before. That’s why people still remember it, and now we’ve come up with something new again. There’s consistency, belief, and learning for all of us, especially for me. It’s been a very important part of my professional journey. I’ve learned a lot and collaborated with some fantastic people. It’s been an incredible learning curve, not only for me or McCann or Perfetti but for the industry, learning what works when you take people on a journey you truly believe in. They come with you.
Q: Are you happy to be back, Nikhil?
Sharma: I keep telling people, this is the vindication of the work we do. When I visit college campuses or play the Happydent Palace commercial anywhere, people still look at it in awe. They say it gives them goosebumps. That’s such a great thing to hear.
Q: It puts a smile on people’s faces, and the fact that you’re leaving people with that feeling, that’s a win. A huge win.
Sharma: It really is a shot in the arm for us. And Prasoon has been kind enough to say we’ve had a fabulous collaboration. I think the partnership between PVM and McCann on Happydent is the poster child for agency-client relationships. So much of the work they’ve done for us has been clutter-breaking, and it’s always come from the right intent.
We’ve had the ability to take a leap of faith with the agency, knowing they come from the right place. That intersection, of that leap of faith and their ability to deliver clutter-breaking commercials, has created a little bit of magic in this journey.
Q: But let’s talk a bit about the category itself, how the idea of Happydent being an impulse purchase played such a critical role in shaping its evolution. Creativity helped define the storytelling, but let’s not forget, this is still an impulse product. Tell me about your insights on that from those early days?
Sharma: The insight has been clear for years, no one is going to go to multiple shops looking for chewing gum. If they don’t find it in one, they move on. So the sales team plays a critical role in ensuring placement, and they do a fabulous job at that.
But after that, the commercial and its memorability take over. The ad needs to be top-of-mind. When a consumer walks into a shop and sees a range of products, what will she buy? It’s not always a deeply thought-out decision. But when a commercial like the Happydent one is top-of-mind, that makes a big difference.
And that’s been the magic ingredient for all our brands, not just Happydent. But yes, that clutter-breaking communication and top-of-mind recall at the point of purchase, that makes a huge difference.
Watch accompanying video for entire discussion.
