The Drum | Can Unilever’s Pepsodent Make Oral Care Accessible To Everyone Everywhere?

Unilever’s Pepsodent model desires to enhance oral perfectly-currently being in creating marketplaces globally and is targeted on key APAC marketplaces in a bid to bolster accessibility to dental treatment. The Drum spoke to Kartik Chandrasekhar, international lead for Pepsodent and oral care group head at Unilever, about the brand’s formidable tactic.

Pepsodent, the Unilever-owned oral treatment model, is on a mission to deal with the issues halting people from accessing dental treatment globally, starting up with the Asia-Pacific area.

The brand has identified obtain to dental cleanliness and care as the amount a single obstacle for building marketplaces which include some nations around the world in just APAC, these types of as Indonesia, exactly where the broad vast majority (86{7b6cc35713332e03d34197859d8d439e4802eb556451407ffda280a51e3c41ac}) have hardly ever frequented a dentist, and Vietnam, where by the ordinary 65-12 months-outdated is lacking seven tooth.

In a bid to address this critical problem, Pepsodent has released a world campaign ‘Now everybody can #talktoadentist’ in 10 essential markets, setting up with Indonesia and Vietnam

The premise is uncomplicated – to tackle the burden on the wellness system due to the absence of accessibility to expert dental care, Pepsodent is working with dentistry companions to give accessibility by offering free of charge tele-dental consultations to the less than-served communities, shares Kartik Chandrasekhar, international lead for Pepsodent and oral treatment category head at Unilever.

The no cost tele-dental consultations will support make certain that everyone can access high-quality dental well being guidance and treatment, irrespective of their monetary problem, he provides.

Teledentistry as the answer for oral care difficulties

“Teledentistry has the potential to revolutionize oral health care obtain for millions of people today around the planet, particularly in creating and rising international locations,” in accordance to the results of a worldwide process drive of tutorial professionals brought with each other by the Oral Health Foundation, Unilever Oral Care and Pepsodent.

Therefore, Pepsodent has introduced this ambitious oral treatment approach deploying its packaging and commercials to direct shoppers to these platforms, the place they can acquire cost-free consultations and health care information, shares Chandrasekhar.

The pilot has been introduced in Indonesia and Vietnam, and will roll out throughout other marketplaces globally.

The campaign will also see minimal-edition packs out there in international locations these as Bangladesh, wherever people can redeem absolutely free dental check-ups by calling a hotline on the pack and becoming directed to the closest lover dentist, he provides.

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The gameplan for Pepsodent

Pepsodent’s launch story way back in 1918 is traditional internet marketing folklore. Released in the US for the duration of the World War to support a country have an understanding of and eradicate oral treatment ailment, brushing teeth was an alien phenomenon finished by really couple men and women. Oral wellness was a massive situation then and remains a substantial problem even right now.

“Today, as per the facts, around 3.5 billion men and women put up with from oral care sickness – the variety is not decreasing and it has now come to be the world’s major disorder,” states Chandrasekhar, who assumed the brand name role earlier this calendar year. The Drum met him in the multinational’s Singapore business office.

“We made a decision to go back to the basic principles of why Pepsodent was introduced way back again – the mission is to eradicate the oral care sickness and what is required is not just brushing regularly, but equally significant is browsing the dentist regularly.” As a result the whole focus on accessibility is the guiding lever to resolving the oral care worries. The described endeavor for the manufacturer is to adjust the behaviour of individuals, and that is where promoting can assist, he says.

Following all, “what is great for the purchaser is also excellent for the business”, states Chandrasekhar whose former function as the extensive-serving global guide of Lifebuoy noticed an immensely successful change in the brand’s fortunes. Lifebuoy’s good results was driven by modifying customer behaviours and selling hand-washing behavior to a massive mass of individuals. He hopes to deploy some of the learnings from Lifebuoy to his latest mandate, he shares.

Provides Chandrasekhar, “This launch to make oral treatment far more obtainable by way of technologies, will be accomplished very first in marketplaces like Indonesia and Vietnam wherever Pepsodent is currently very well-penetrated.” Indonesia, by the way is 1 current market where this manufacturer has been the most thriving and that industry is the pillar of Pepsodent’s growth journey, he adds.