Wavemaker Australia Collaborates with Colgate Optic White™ and Napoleon Perdis to Develop Global First Bespoke Red Lipstick

What’s the best fashion and beauty accessory a girl can have? A beautiful bright white smile! How do you make that smile even brighter?!

When Colgate launched its teeth-whitening product Colgate Optic White™ in 2013, Wavemaker’s strategy was to position the product as “the ultimate fashion and beauty accessory”. This communications platform gave us the opportunity to develop more personalised experiences with consumers – not easy in the oral care category. Wavemaker has evolved and refreshed this consistent platform for Colgate over the past 4 years, building Colgate Optic White™ into their most successful and flagship product in Australia.

An integrated channel and content approach built around Australia’s Next Top Model was used to launch Colgate Optic White™ in 2013. This proved to be very effective at not only building Colgate Optic White’s fashion credentials, but also helping them exceed their sales targets threefold. Following this, we also contracted Jennifer Hawkins, Australia’s Next Top Model’s host, as the lead talent for our TVC’s and Colgate Optic White’s brand ambassador.

Staying on trend is a never-ending challenge. Colgate had earned the right to credibly play in fashion circles, but how could we maintain leadership in this arena? In 2015, Wavemaker took Colgate Optic White from runway to track-side, via a Spring Racing naming rights partnership with The Australian Turf Club. This was an unprecedented move for Colgate and the oral care category. Not only has this been directly attributed to sales growth over the key spring period, but it has also been recognised internationally as best practice in integrated sponsorship marketing.

After huge success with Colgate Optic White Stakes Day, in 2017 Wavemaker collaborated with a premium beauty partner to further build our personalised consumer experiences, with a “race-day ready” idea. We worked with Colgate Optic White™ on a global first, commissioning Napoleon Perdis to develop a bespoke Red lipstick designed to enhance the brightness and whiteness of your smile. Whilst recognising the natural synergies between both brands, the collaboration served to build Colgate Optic White’s beauty credentials and further elevate the confidence a bright white smile can bring.

The limited edition lipsticks were displayed in Colgate Optic White™ counter units in Napoleon stores nationally. They were also distributed to Colgate Optic White’s race day ambassadors and key influencers, ensuring for “race day ready” social content distribution.

Please get in touch with our Australia team if you have any questions about this campaign or would like to explore what a partnership like this might look like for your brand.