Winner of the GSK Global Brand Edge Award
Studies showed that 147 million Americans weren’t getting the right oral care. But this didn't need to be. GlaxoSmithKline had the products to correct this massive problem – they just needed to get the word out.
In response, we developed the “Word of Mouth” platform. Uniting all GSK care products under one voice, Word of Mouth positioned the multinational pharmaceutical brand as the category expert, spreading the news about the need for better oral health and giving people the information, guidance and products they needed to live a better life.
The platform engaged Americans with quick, compelling questions at every touchpoint, allowing consumers to self-diagnose. The information and products needed to address their oral issues were then right on hand.
A design system of interlocking hexagrams visually conveyed how knowledge spreads, while giving each element a science-backed feel.
The Word of Mouth program saw GSK Oral Care products outperform the category by 3X during its initial 4-weeks, with 11.2% growth. The program went on to receive GSK’s Global Brand Edge Award. And then it went global – available to all countries via an innovative Interactive/Digital program guide for GSK sales and marketing personnel around the world.
A 16-page national brochure and national FSI built awareness, challenged recipients to consider their oral health, and incentivized purchase of GSK Oral Care products.
In-store displays of every shape and size were designed and constructed to invite hands-on interaction. While the look was adjusted for different national customers, every display featured flip-up Q&A panels and take-home oral care guides. Over 15,000 displays were shipped in the U.S. - the largest GSK shipment to customers in any given month at the time.
The Word of Mouth platform extended naturally and powerfully to dentist offices across the United States. Through waiting room questionnaires and operatory educational guides, trusted dental experts became advocates for the GSK line of science-backed products.
21,200 custom dental easels were displayed by dental professionals, generating over 350 million impressions with the target audience. Orders for the second year of the platform tripled those of the initial year.
A custom website brought the badly-needed self-diagnosis tools and oral care information into homes across the country. The site also tracked progress on a parallel GSK initiative to get needed oral care products into the hands of needy Americans. Each customized plan completed on the website saw $1 of oral care products donated.
The Word of Mouth platform won the GSK Global Brand Edge Award.
It went global the following year.
