Darlie embraces horror with zombie-themed graphene toothbrush campaign

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Darlie is tapping into pop culture’s fascination with the undead for its latest campaign, “Light on, bacteria gone,” which reimagines bacteria as zombies that fear the light. The campaign introduces the brand’s upgraded 'Charcoal spiral graphene' toothbrush, featuring the 'LightActiv technology' powered by graphene. When exposed to light, the toothbrush’s graphene-infused bristles kill bacteria on their surface three times faster, offering Malaysians a cleaner and safer brushing experience.

To spotlight this innovation, Darlie collaborated with its long-time creative partner FCB Shout to dramatise how light can be a weapon against bacteria. Drawing inspiration from horror tropes where monsters thrive in darkness, the campaign flips the script where this time, it’s the bacteria that run from the light. The result is a cinematic, tongue-in-cheek narrative that turns everyday oral care into an entertaining battle between light and darkness.

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Melissa Wong, director of marketing for Malaysia and regional brand development at Hawley & Hazel, said the campaign was designed to make complex science accessible through storytelling. “As a brand built on efficacy and innovation, introducing graphene into our toothbrushes marks another leap in our commitment to complete oral care,” she said. “But we also wanted to ensure that consumers could relate to it. The campaign translates this scientific breakthrough into something entertaining, unique, and easy to understand, while still driving home our message that Darlie toothbrushes are as powerful against bacteria and stains as they are gentle and comfortable for everyday use.”

The 30-second spot opens with a beam of light piercing through a forest, rousing a horde of zombies that scatter in fear. As the light hits them, they disintegrate and vanish. The scene then expands seamlessly from the forest to a bird’s-eye view of toothbrush bristles, revealing Darlie’s LightActiv graphene toothbrush, which kills 99% of bacteria three times faster when exposed to light.

Executive creative director, FCB Shout, Wang Ie Tjer added that the team wanted to visualise bacteria in a way that everyone could instantly understand. “We asked ourselves, what if we personified the bacteria as horror movie villains? Except this time, they’re the ones being hunted. That’s how the idea of reimagining bacteria as terrified zombies fleeing from the light came about,” he explained. “We found a creative way to make complex science instantly relatable and visually arresting.”

Rolling out across digital, social, and digital out-of-home platforms, the “Light on, bacteria gone” campaign blends science and storytelling with a horror twist. In doing so, Darlie not only unveils a breakthrough in oral care technology but also lights the way for creativity that makes hygiene both engaging and memorable. The campaign was also created in partnership with LightFlux Productions, DeTouche Post and Pitch Audio & Magic.

Over in neighbouring Indonesia, Lifebuoy, Unilever's hygiene brand, unveiled a horror-comedy campaign in March titled "Ketempelan dinginnya" or "Get possessed by coolness," to engage Gen Z audiences in the country. Launched in collaboration with MullenLowe Singapore, MullenLowe Lintas Group, and MullenLowe Lintas Indonesia, the campaign offers a refreshing take on the cultural concept of "ketempelan" - a term traditionally linked to spirits that "cling" to people.

However, in the midst of Indonesia's record-breaking heatwaves, "ketempelan" humorously symbolised the sticky, uncomfortable feeling of sweat and body odour that Lifebuoy's Cool Fresh body wash aims to banish. By merging supernatural folklore with humour, Lifebuoy presents its cooling body wash as the ultimate antidote to Indonesia's sweltering temperatures.