Colgate celebrates a range of smiles in music video set to Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’
‘My Smile Is My Superpower’ shows off gapped teeth to boost Gen Z confidence about their smiles

Editor's Pick
Life is better when you smile. Cliché, but true.
Smiling, laughter—both are contagious.
Colgate’s latest campaign from VML is, to no one’s surprise, about showing off your smile. The difference is that this time, the message is less about having the whitest and healthiest smile and more about having confidence in whatever smile you have, regardless of what it looks like.
“My Smile Is My Superpower,” launched Monday, features an original music video: “The Beauty of Gaps.” The 90-second spot kicks off as young people of different backgrounds admire their smiles, including ones with gaps, while whistling their own takes of Katy Perry’s “Roar.”
Shot by noted music video director Alfred Marroquin, the campaign aims to show everyone that all smiles are beautiful smiles, no matter their size, shape or shade.
The musical element of whistling was inspired by the insight that people who have gapped teeth have said their smile helps them whistle better, Diana Haussling, SVP and general manager of consumer experience and growth at Colgate-Palmolive, told Ad Age.
“Some of the things that you may at first think may not be perfect or ideal, they’re actually the thing that makes you special,” she said. “For me personally, I actually see my gap as part of my personal brand. I actually can't imagine looking in the mirror and not seeing it there, because it's part of who I am.”
The campaign comes as today’s social media and TV personalities boast nearly identical sets of straight, white, gleaming teeth with no gaps, Haussling said.
Prior to the development of campaign, Colgate launched a survey to explore consumer attitudes and perceptions of their smile composition, especially to measure confidence among Gen Z. The survey found that nearly 65% of Gen Z reported that pressure to have a perfect smile negatively impacts their confidence. Over 85% said they wanted to change their smile.
Ad Age Young Creatives
Enter our TikTok contest to win a trip to Cannes“It was really about being inclusive of all smiles. If you have a gap in your teeth, that’s alright. If you have perfect teeth, great. We want you as well, too. It was about celebrating with all smiles and the power that smiles hold,” Haussling said. “If you’re at the airport and you smile at somebody and they smile back, the energy shifts, the room changes. There is a lot of power in [smiling], and as we were looking at casting, we were [looking at] including all types of smiles in to showcase that confidence.”
“My Smile Is My Superpower” marks a departure from the 218-year-old brand’s usual marketing and advertising strategy, which focuses on the scientific aspects of Colgate’s product, especially its cavity protection, gingivitis and plaque prevention, tartar reduction and tooth whitening capabilities.
In addition to the video, the company is partnering with talent such as Uzo Aduba from “Orange Is the New Black” and Myha’la Herrold from “Leave the World Behind” to spread the message on smile confidence.
That shift is intentional, Haussling asserted, as the brand looks to target more brand competence goals.
“[This camapign] is definitely geared toward Gen Z audiences,” she said. “We've spent over 30-plus years working on foundations of oral health with Gen Z and young people through our Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program, which brings resources [about oral health] to schools through a mobile dental vehicle and sets the foundation to allow kids to have a positive connection with oral hygiene. … But as we are going through this journey, we found that it’s not just about oral health. Having confidence in your smile is really critical.”
Credits
- Date
- Mar 25, 2024
- Client :
- Colgate
- Agency :
- VML
- Chairman President & CEO :
- Noel Wallace
- President :
- Jesper Nordengaard
- SVP GM Consumer Experience & Growth :
- Diana Haussling
- VP GM Integrated Marketing & Advanced Advertising :
- Amy Benford
- Senior Director :
- Jen Caballero
- Senior Manager :
- Horacio Munoz III
- Senior Manager :
- Salma Kaddouri
- Social Media Manager :
- Mike Kemmlein
- Senior Director Media :
- Rick Kluxen
- Senior Media Manager :
- Diana Capuano
- SVP General Manager :
- Jeffrey Rothman
- Global Chief Creative Officer :
- Fred Saldanha
- CCO :
- Wayne Best
- Creative Director :
- Ana Magalhaes
- Creative Director :
- Amanda Caldari
- Copywriter :
- Kyle Nutter
- Senior Art Director :
- Mariana Ortega
- Senior Art Director :
- Francisco Castillo
- Executive Director :
- Kristin Ramsey
- Executive Director :
- Kelly Considine
- Group Account Director :
- Aleya Brahmachary
- Account Director :
- Susan Min
- Associate Account Director :
- Kate Seals
- Associate Account Manager :
- Mika Ro
- Global Head of Production :
- Greg Lotus
- Senior Integrated Producer :
- Jessica Fiore
- Associate Director Business Affairs :
- Jennifer Blum
- Executive Music Producer :
- Theresa Notartomaso
- Brand Strategy Lead :
- Joanna Moy
- Group Director Comms Planning :
- Tracy Snyder
- Connections Director :
- Matt Garcia
- Connections Supervisor :
- Jessica Morales
- Group Director Client Operations :
- Benjamin Berg
- Program Director :
- Nicole Baksa
- Media Agency :
- Wavemaker
- Executive Director Media :
- Jessica Gagliardi
- Group Account Director Media :
- Michelle Carpenter
- Associate Director Media :
- Lauren Goodyear
- Director Client Investment Lead :
- Ethan Kelly
- Manager Digital Investment :
- Emylia Rochyadi
- Associate Digital Investment :
- Alexandra Manolis
- Global Communications :
- BCW
- EVP Brand Solutions Practice Lead :
- Yocasta Shames
- VP Brand Solutions :
- Celia Rumbin
- VP Brand Solutions :
- Caitlin Kelly
- VP Media Specialist Brand Solutions :
- Claudia Garcia
- Account Supervisor Brand Solutions :
- Karolina Laskawiec
- Account Executive Brand Solutions :
- Madeline Black
- Assistant Account Executive :
- Eugenia Ambard
- EVP Brand Solutions :
- Heidi Donato
- Account Director Brand Solutions :
- Alyssa Eubank
- EVP Entertainment & Influencer Marketing :
- Chris Lieber
- VP Influencer & Entertainment Marketing :
- Kassandra Hannay
- Senior Director Entertainment & Influencer Marketing :
- Heather Magro
- Director Entertainment & Influencer Marketing :
- Rachel Sun
- Senior Account Executive Entertainment & Influencer Marketing :
- Tyler Reno
Need a credit fix? Contact the Creativity Editors
Related work

Colgate: Colgate Launches Hear Gear, Promoting Inclusivity for Athletes in the Deaf or Hard of Hearing Communities

Colgate: Colgate celebrates love that’s made to last with Colgate Keep Valentine’s Day limited edition

Colgate: Colgate's sonic logo aims to convey 'optimism in action'
