Toothpaste belongs to those FMCG products which, in the collective opinion of marketers, are almost doomed to the classic, “hard” path of persuasion. Hammering the benefits of “even whiter white” into the consumer’s mind lasted for decades, and it seemed unavoidable in future as well. In that context, breaking of this orthodoxy by Colgate is even more surprising. The brand have just entered the Polish market (among other europeans markets) with the “Smile on” equity campaign.

The source material for the campaign are representatives of three subcultures (in terms of the theory of cultural branding): a father raising a child alone, “a woman in the male world”, orphaned at an early age female boxer raised by her single mother, and perhaps the most interesting choice in these three identity stories – former financier, fugitive from the big city jungle, who became a farmer and now feels that “the world needs him”.

A striking disadvantage of the campaign is its global nature, the campaign has only been translated into Polish and the European languages (Dutch, Slovakian, Spanish). Those seeking its continuation will find the page with dubbed films. They can be viewed here (in Polish) https://www.colgate.pl/oursmileisourstrength

Do the films respond properly to the identity tensions of Polish (not global) consumer? To a large extent, yes – the social barriers that the characters of the campaign are breaking are common to the entire European cultural context , although the results of the campaign would certainly be better with the use of strictly local cultural codes. With a little bit of consistency, however, Colgate can fight for the palm of precedence in these identity markets in Poland (the third wave of feminism in the case of the first two stories, and pastoralism as a reference ideology for all those disappointed with urban civilization and wishing to escape to the countryside).