Mars Petcare Puts Canine Dental Health in the Spotlight with Playful Global Push

Mars Petcare has unveiled a global campaign for PEDIGREE Dentastix, using humour and surreal visuals to highlight widespread oral health issues in dogs. The initiative urges pet owners to adopt simple preventative routines, reframing dental care as an easy, everyday habit rather than a neglected afterthought.

Mars Petcare has launched a bold new global campaign for PEDIGREE Dentastix, designed to bring canine oral health into sharper focus and encourage preventative care among pet owners worldwide. Built around the striking line “Good Dogs Have Bad Mouth,” the campaign seeks to make an often-overlooked issue both visible and memorable.

Despite growing enthusiasm among pet parents for premium care—from specialised diets to spa-like treatments—oral hygiene remains neglected, with eight in ten dogs developing dental issues. The campaign addresses this gap by reframing the conversation, emphasising prevention as the simplest and most effective way to safeguard a dog’s overall health and wellbeing.

Developed with Colenso BBDO, the creative approach avoids clinical messaging and alarmist tones. Instead, it introduces a vivid, technicolour felt world that visualises the hidden reality inside a dog’s mouth. The imaginative setting, populated by fuzzy bacterial creatures, transforms an invisible problem into something tangible and difficult to ignore. In audiovisual executions, seemingly well-behaved dogs are humorously “exposed” by their unruly mouths, adding a layer of entertainment to the message.

Meg Jones, Global Strategy Lead at Colenso BBDO, noted that while pet owners are investing more than ever in their animals, dental health has slipped into the background. The campaign is rooted in the belief that greater awareness will prompt action, particularly if owners understand that even their “good dogs” may be harbouring unseen issues.

Kimberley Ragan, Group Creative Director, explained that the team deliberately moved away from sterile, science-heavy communication. By injecting humour and playful censorship cues into the “Bad Mouth” concept, the campaign aims to capture attention and make the subject approachable, even amusing.

Rather than presenting dental care as a burdensome task, the campaign positions Dentastix as a simple, daily habit—an easy addition to a routine that supports long-term health. This balance of functional benefit and emotional engagement reflects a broader shift in brand communication strategy.

Mariana Coronel, European Director for the PEDIGREE brand, highlighted the importance of combining education with entertainment to drive behavioural change. She emphasised the brand’s mission to make effective nutrition and care accessible, noting that oral health plays a crucial role in a dog’s overall wellbeing.

Conceived as a scalable global platform, “Good Dogs Have Bad Mouth” will roll out across out-of-home advertising, social media, digital channels and audiovisual formats, with further extensions planned as the campaign evolves.