How do you make the world develop better habits?

You are waiting for the train after a long day of work and out of the corner of your eye you notice a new poster:

Yang Yeo et al. J.Walter Thompson U.S.A., Inc, Shanghai

What did you see?

Is it the tooth, the Colosseum of Rome in Italy, the tooth paste or the foreign text (which I hope you guessed is Chinese)? If you see all of these, then it will not be a huge surprise to discover that this image, which exemplifies expertise, is a very successful advertising campaign for a Chinese toothpaste brand - Maxam.

The creativity does not stop here. If you are a Mandarin speaker, you will then quickly notice the pun in the caption. The verb used here is 驻 (zhu), meaning ‘decay’, but it is pronounced exactly the same as 住 (zhu), meaning ‘settle down’. This caption emphasises the message of how bacterial decay can settle down inside your teeth as if building their own civilization, just as how the Roman Empire built Rome. The concept then becomes a popular topic for discussion amongst a wide range of audiences.

Welcome to the world of healthcare advertising, where science and creativity meet to promote a powerful message.

Yang Yeo et al. J.Walter Thompson U.S.A., Inc, Shanghai

In an environment filled with successful and colourful marketing campaigns, healthcare advertising plays an important but serious role in raising the awareness of diseases and their treatments. Successful campaigns should have a long-lasting effect so that the audience start taking care of their health and form beneficial habits. Next to adverts for fabulous holiday destinations, exciting blockbuster movies and sexy new fashion, healthcare advertisements have to grab everybody’s attention and alert all to the importance of taking care of their health. What a challenging task!

The picture above is one of the images produced in a series that was widely distributed as posters throughout train stations and public transport in China.  This advertisement aimed to raise awareness of oral hygiene and the importance of brushing regularly. It not only shows the dire consequences of failing to regularly brush teeth, but also emphasizes the strong similarity between the decay caused by bacteria on teeth and the great historic civilizations of mankind. Both take a long time to conquer, but will leave a permanent mark. I would surmise that nobody who sees this poster could fail to appreciate the urgency of taking care of their oral hygiene.

This image is set in a parallel universe of the tooth and it stands out from other adverts that might be seen on public transport. The tooth appears as a static snapshot during the construction of the Colosseum. The individual arches can be seen clearly, and there are people around the façade that betray a large population. The slogan and the toothpaste appear to be moving into view as if to take action against the slow process of decay. The audience will quickly recognise the product that is being advertised. The strong contrast between the colours of the tooth, the toothpaste and the background makes the audience focus on this amazing architecture built in the tooth and the product needed to combat it. The fine details in the model of the Colosseum are breath-taking and remind the audience about the famous old saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day!”

The expertise on display in this image doesn’t stop at the brilliant idea alone. The image depicts a 3D decaying tooth, which was generated using computer models and image manipulation software that required both patience and immense skill to produce the desired effects. This Colosseum model shows very fine details that give it a high definition. The incredible details are fascinating and make the audience want to look closer for longer to discover what else they can find in the picture.  An advert that makes the audience want to pay attention will no-doubt be successful.

Yang Yeo et al. J.Walter Thompson U.S.A., Inc, Shanghai

Indeed, this advertising campaign has gone viral since it came to public eye. Many people have shared this poster with their friends on social networking websites such as Weibo (Chinese twitter), Facebook and Pinterest. The advert has been widely distributed within China and around the globe, giving the message considerable longevity. It also earned praise from advertising industry magazines, such as “[The prizes] were well deserved”¹ and “The detail in the ruins sculpted inside, is remarkable and the whole picture is impressive”². The advertising enthusiasts and professionals have studied the techniques, so that they can replicate this advert’s success.

The photograph of a 3-D model is innovative and novel in the advertising world. Many prestigious awards have been bestowed upon the campaign³ including the Cannes Lions 2012 (2 Gold, 2 Silver & 2 Bronze), which is the highest award in the industry.

So do you have the urge to brush your teeth now?

Image credits

Client: Maxam

Agency: JWT (J.Walter Thompson U.S.A., Inc), Shanghai

Chief Creative Officer: Yang Yeo

Executive Creative Officer: Elvis Chau

Creative Officer: Hattie Cheng

Copywriter: Chanfron Zhao

Art Directors: Haoxi Lv, Danny Li

Print Producers: Liza Law, Joseph yu, Isaac Xu, Chivel Miao

Photographer/Illustrator: Surachai Puthikulangkura at Illusion

Illustrator: Supachai U-Rairat

Producers: Somsak Pairew, Anotai Panmongkol

References

1. Weekly Creative Inspiration (2013) DDG Mag, District Design Group. http://districtdesigngroup.com/weekly-creative-inspiration-dont-let-germs-settle-down/ (last retrieved 7^th June 2014)
2. Maxam Civilizations (2012) dutch DZINE. http://www.dutchdzine.com/tag/maxam-civilizations/ (last retrieved 7^th June 2014)
3. Civilization-Rome (2014) Welovead. http://www.welovead.com/en/works/details/384DkoqB (last retrieved 7th June 2014)