How Hismile and Pistachio Papi turned a nutty collaboration into e-commerce success

Australian dental care scaleup Hismile is no stranger to social media hype, having secured the endorsement of Kylie Jenner and promotion from countless Instagram influencers.

Yet the launch of its most recent product — a toothpaste made in collaboration with Sydney’s Pistachio Papi — is particularly nuts.

Hismile debuted its Pistachio Papi toothpaste online last week, promising a dental care experience emulating the popular nut paste.

A limited run of 10,000 units sold out in under 24 hours, Hismile founder and director Nik Mirkovic said, boasting numbers more familiar to cosmetics and streetwear retailers than toothpaste manufacturers.

Speaking to SmartCompany, Mirkovic explained how the campaign came together, and why taking an unconventional approach to dental hygiene paid off for both brands.

The collaboration began around two months ago when Hismile attempted to garner the attention of “world-renowned treat brand” Biscoff on Instagram, in an attempt to bolster Hismile’s lineup of uniquely flavoured toothpastes.

“What was originally the idea to get this brand’s attention, quickly shifted as the team at Pistachio Papi hijacked the post,” Mirkovic said.

“What started as a joke soon became very serious.

“They wanted us to make a Pistachio Papi flavoured toothpaste.”

To test customer interest in Pistachio Papi — which has built its own fervent following online — the Hismile team challenged the Pistachio Papi team to garner 10,000 comments on a post teasing the potential collaboration.

“In just a few hours, that joke turned into a reality,” Mirkovic said.

A screenshot of Pistachio Papi founder Mark Abdelmalik celebrating the brand’s Instagram comment milestone. Source: Instagram/ Pistachio Papi

With the collaboration set, the Hismile team then set about adding the pistachio flavour to its existing roster, which includes varieties like watermelon, peach iced tea, and mango sorbet.

The brands then created a video campaign capitalising on Pistachio Papi’s irreverent branding (and perhaps the only toothpaste advertisement to ever flaunt a lit cigarette).

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A post shared by @pistachiopapiofficial

“Working with the Pistachio Papi team, we set out to launch the toothpaste a little differently, pulling together a viral marketing campaign, creating a lot of hype and buzz for something that was initially a joke,” Mirkovic said.

“The idea behind the campaign was to align closely with what PP had created with their brand and in their identity, and we managed to leverage that in the campaign itself.”

In a message to fans who missed out, Mirkovic hinted the initial toothpaste launch is not the last element of the collaboration between Hismile and Pistachio Papi.

And for brands hoping to emulate the same kind of success, Mirkovic reflected on the importance of listening to your customers — even if they want something as left-field as toothpaste based on a nutty spread.

“This campaign just goes on to show the power of a community-driven product and brand collaboration,” he said.

“The first step to any successful campaign is listening to your community and what gets them excited”.