There are some things you simply don’t want to say to people. Like they have something stuck in their teeth or that their fly is undone. Top of the most awkward list is “your breath stinks”. But it’s kind and helpful to let people know. So TheraBreath and social-led creative agency Kill Boring Dead (KBD) have done the hard part for them.
P.S. Your Breath Stinks intends to get Australians talking about bad breath, by turning a difficult social observation into a playful, opt-in brand experience, allowing people to nominate a friend, colleague or loved one to receive a surprise “fresh breath assist” package from TheraBreath. Solving a tension that is universally understood.
The campaign is the biggest piece of work KBD and TheraBreath have delivered together to date, bringing strategy, creative, creator content, digital, PR, fulfilment and a consumer nomination mechanic together under one integrated campaign platform.
Rosie Brown, head of strategy, Kill Boring Dead, stated, “We’re really, really proud of this campaign. The whole idea is built off the human truth that it’s so awkward to tell someone their breath stinks. Even though it’s the nice, the right, and the best thing to do, no one wants to do it because we don’t want to upset someone. So, we thought we’d just ask TheraBreath to do it for us.”
P.S. Your Breath Stinks is built around a surprise-led microsite and SMS journey, supported by creator content, PR giveaway packages, social engagement and an activation at Melbourne Central.
Australians can nominate someone at www.psyourbreathstinks.com, with 500 PR giveaway boxes being sent out to deliver the message in person. For those who miss out on a box, TheraBreath has also created formal letters and sample packs to ensure the message can still get through.
The campaign kicked off with a bad-breath prank featuring TikTok duo, Kaitlin & Josh:
@kaitlinandjosh I thought it was time to see if Josh still hated Tuna……….can confirm he still does 😂😂😂😭😭😭Ad
Then it extended into influencer seeding, TikTok and Instagram content, organic brand and community engagement and two giveaways including a year’s supply of garlic bread and a year’s supply of Segafredo coffee.
For KBD, the campaign represents a deliberate move away from traditional social content that demonstrates the value of giving creators a strong idea rather than simply asking them to deliver branded content.
Ainslee Baruhas Head of Client Partnerships, Kill Boring Dead, commented, “This is exactly the kind of work that makes me love my job. It starts with a single, sharp insight, which you hand to creators who know how to bring it to life, but you need a brand bold enough to let that happen.
“That’s what made the TheraBreath campaign so much fun to build. We kicked things off with a ‘bad breath’ prank fronted by Kaitlin & Josh, one of the platform’s most-loved duos, and it landed even better than we’d hoped. There’s no product shot, no brand mention, nothing that screams ‘buy this product.’ Just a funny bit that feels completely native to who Kaitlin & Josh are, while still nailing the exact idea at the heart of the campaign. That’s the difference between renting an audience for a post and understanding how to use a platform. And the best thing about this campaign is TheraBreath’s team are as excited about it as we are.”
Rather than positioning TheraBreath as a clinical solution to a clinical problem, P.S. Your Breath Stinks puts the brand into a recognisable social situation and gives consumers a reason to participate.
Alison Tyssen-Hall, senior brand manager – oral health At TheraBreath parent, Church & Dwight, stated, “The opportunity for us was to take something people generally avoid talking about and make it impossible to ignore. Bad breath is a very real, very human problem, but conversations around it can be awkward. ‘P.S. Your Breath Stinks’ gives people a fun way to start that conversation, while putting TheraBreath in the middle of a genuinely useful and memorable experience.”
The campaign targets Australian adults aged 18+, with a particular focus on socially active Gen Z and millennial consumers who engage with humour-led content, TikTok and Instagram culture, creator campaigns and peer-to-peer sharing.
Credits:
Client: Church & Dwight (TheraBreath)
Senior Brand Manager, Oral Care: Alison Tyssen-Hall
Brand Manager, Oral Care: Azmara Mannan-Perera
Head of Digital: Paul Makomaski
Marketing Strategist: Jeanne Bourgeois
Marketing Director: Nicky Dolman
Agency: Kill Boring Dead
Director & Co-Founder: Marcus Willis
Head of Brand & Co-Founder: Jackson Springer
Head of Strategy: Rosie Brown
Head of Client Partnerships & Influencer Lead: Ainslee Baruhas
Head of Community: Gwendolyn Tan
Account Director: Caitlin Adams
Strategist: Sam Arevalo
Senior Campaign Producer: Ant Dinham
Content Producer: Ollie Sievers
Senior Designer & Web Developer: Shinji Kaneko
Social Media Executive: Gelo Lasin
Community Manager: Pio Moralde
Video Editor: Nisa Fitri
Graphic Designer: Ian Rabang
Media Agency: Incubeta
Seeding Partner: Riser
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