The occasion was World Oral Health Day. With 34 per cent of Indian adults suffering from tooth sensitivity, GSK’s brand Sensodyne decided it was time to bring virtual dentists closer to the public.

With the help of a chatbot and Google Assistant, consumers were prodded and advised on oral care.

Mindshare, the largest media agency from the GroupM stable, created a first-of-its-kind technology-driven chatbot for GSK’s sensitivity toothpaste brand.

The chatbot, when invoked through Google Assistant by saying ‘Hello Sensodyne’, discussed oral care problems with users, and offered information about the causes of tooth sensitivity, and ways to treat the problem. Through the chatbot, users could also order a free sample of Sensodyne.

At the end of the chat, users were given an option to go to Lybrate.com, enter their location and book a dental appointment, for which Sensodyne paid ₹700 of the dentist’s fees.

Anurita Chopra, Area Marketing Director, Oral Health, GSK Consumer Healthcare, said tooth sensitivity is a common condition globally, but the lack of awareness makes consumers give up their favourite food and drinks.

Ruchi Mathur, Senior Vice-President, Client Leadership, Mindshare North & East said, “while many brands in the industry have been using conversational UI to deliver campaigns, we wanted to link it to a tangible benefit for the consumer. This troika of partnership between Sensodyne, Lybrate and Google Voice helped us create this industry-first.”

As a part of their marketing approach, Sensodyne also set up large screens and kiosks in prominent locations across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, where they conducted a free chill test. Apart from campaigns in print, TV and radio, the brand released a teaser on YouTube and Twitter, besides deploying influencers and poll-based creative to generate awareness.