Siam Health Group, the producer and marketer of Dentiste' toothpaste, has quickly tuned in to the vibe of Thai-born singer Lalisa "Lisa" Manoban, a member of South Korea's superstar K-pop group Blackpink, hiring her as brand ambassador as part of its promotional efforts in the global market.
Sangsuk Pithayanukul, the company's managing director, said the company plans to allocate 100-300 million baht to launch a new global campaign, featuring Ms Lalisa as the new brand ambassador for waterless brushing. An advertisement will be aired offline and online and via out of home media on Saturday.
"We hope 'LISA Confident Smile', the new commercial campaign, will help change consumer behaviour to use Dentiste' Anticavity Max Fluoride, its waterless toothpaste. It is worth the investment if five or 10 consumers out a total of 100 people have shifted to use waterless toothpaste,'' said Mr Sangsuk, adding that the campaign will also focus mainly on Gen Y and Z consumers.
If the situation of Covid-19 is better, Ms Lalisa will appear via activities with Thai consumers in May or June next year, he said.
In the initial step, Ms Lalisa will promote Dentiste' Anticavity Max Fluoride, promoted as "spit don't rinse toothpaste" in Thailand, with the aim of boosting its market share to 8% in the first year of operation, from the current 5% of the total toothpaste market, which is estimated to be worth 10 billion baht.
If the campaign is successful in Thailand, the company will hire Ms Lalisa to promote Dentiste' waterless toothpaste in other countries including China, Singapore and Taiwan in the future.
"This year has been a big challenge with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic but we are confident of the vibe of Lisa in Thailand," he said.
Recently, YG Entertainment released "Lisa Solo", the singer's first album as a solo artist. Not long after the launch, the #SoloistLisa hashtag topped Twitter worldwide while making it the No.1 hashtag in seven countries. Therefore, this is the best opportunity to promote Dentiste' Anticavity Max Fluoride not only in Thailand but also in the world market, according to the company.
Currently, Dentiste' toothpaste products are available in 25 countries worldwide with South Korea being the main market. The firm was successful in expanding business in Japan over the past two years.
Sales of Dentiste' toothpaste tally 3 billion baht per year, 20% of which is from the international market with the other 80% coming from the domestic market.
"With the relatively slow recovery of Thailand's economy and our goal to usher Dentiste' to become a global brand, we are resetting our strategic plan to boost the sales portion from international business to 80% within the next five years to reduce business risk,'' Mr Sangsuk said.
Once the Covid-19 situation eases, the firm will also look to aggressively expand its overseas business, setting up its head office in the UK to sell its toothpaste via Amazon, he said.
