The perfect Halloween companion

This Halloween just past, Philips Oral Healthcare worked with Dr David Dunn, Principal Dentist at Macquarie Centre and Philips Sonicare ambassador, to create a healthier Halloween campaign for Australian kids. The Halloween campaign targeted parents and kids, ahead of October 31, to educate on effective oral healthcare practices that will assist in combatting decay and protect teeth, as they enjoyed the festivities and sugar intake that goes with it.

In 2015, research showed that almost half of all Australian households with primary school aged children celebrated Halloween. With recent ABS statistics showing that 50% of all Australians easily exceed the World Health Organisation's base recommendation of sugar intake, which is supported in research highlighting dental decay as the most prevalent disease in children.Based on this research, Philips Oral Healthcare called on Dr Dunn to create a list of useful tips and a brushing guide for parents to refer to. Dr Dunn's advice covers oral healthcare instructions for pre-consumption and post-consumption of sweets, including brushing, flossing and rinsing techniques to provide the best protection. The aim of this campaign was to raise awareness in parents around the benefits of using a Philips Sonicare for Kids toothbrush to combat plaque removal, as well as ensuring a healthy diet is followed to protect against tooth decay.

Dr Dunn's content formed part of a wider national media outreach, which also included healthy eating tips from nutritionist, Susie Burrell, advice on sugar consumption and healthy low sugar recipes, so kids and parents could enjoy a healthier Halloween. Part of the outreach also focussed on targeting mum's directly through mummy blogs, sponsored posts were created showcasing the tips and advice on how to have a healthier, low sugar Halloween.

Overall awareness of the campaign and benefits of using Philips Sonicare for Kids brushes was raised during the key period, with all media reaching over 10 million people. Philips Sonicare for Kids is an electric toothbrush for kids aged 3 and older. It offers maximum plaque removal, sonic technology, customisable stickers and educational tools to help make proper brushing fun for a lifetime.