Braun Oral-B Commemorative Event for Selling Over 200,000 Children's Electric Toothbrushes
On April 18, "Good Teeth Day," Procter & Gamble Japan held a PR event at Lumine Yurakucho in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward to celebrate strong sales of the Braun Oral-B brand's first children's electric toothbrush, the "Sumizumi Clean Kids."
Since its launch in February, the toothbrush has surpassed 200,000 units shipped.
At the start, Shiono Nagamura from the Marketing Department stated, "Braun Oral-B is celebrating its 69th year as a brand, having proposed various innovations since its founding. What began as a small business started by a dentist gained widespread support and has now become the number one brand used by dentists worldwide." She also reported on the current state of oral care in Japan, where approximately half of those over 40 suffer from periodontal disease, and shared findings from a survey on attitudes toward toothbrushing. Noting that Japanese parents are highly conscious of challenges in their children's brushing habits and tend to prefer products featuring characters their children like, the company incorporated the popular Pokémon into its products. She explained the development process, leading to the creation of "Sumizumi Clean Kids," designed to help children brush correctly while having fun.
Guest celebrities Miki Fujimoto (mother of two) and Taiyo Sugiura (father of four) joined the stage to discuss children's toothbrushing habits.
Fujimoto praised the product, saying, "It's absolutely adorable. My kids say they want to use it happily, and since it makes brushing fun and effective, parents are happy too. It's all good." Sugiura shared his experience: "My mother-in-law bought it for my child's birthday, and we've been using it since right after launch. Just brushing with it makes my child's teeth clean, so it's easy for parents and great."
Regarding the product surpassing 200,000 units shipped, the two parents expressed empathy, saying, "It's incredibly popular. I think parents were waiting for it to launch," and "I totally get it."
Fujimoto revealed she's an electric toothbrush advocate, saying, "After using a Braun electric toothbrush, my dentist told me my teeth were clean, and that's when I realized the benefits of electric. Actually, I'd been ordering Oral-B children's models from overseas for a while." She also shared tips like finishing touches with a manual brush and flossing for her child.
Sugiura shared that she has implemented a "reward system" to make brushing a habit: if children brush thoroughly 30 minutes before bedtime, they can have dessert after dinner or play afterward.
Dr. Takasaki Shimazu, director of the Dental Alignment Clinic, advised, "Even adults can't brush 100% perfectly. Don't aim for perfection; keep a relaxed mindset. During finishing touches, smile and communicate." Both women nodded vigorously. "Pokémon is cute and fun for kids. We really hope parents will pick it up and try it." They also shared messages for parents nationwide: "It feels good to use and is easy, so it's less of a burden for both kids and parents. Since parent-child toothbrushing time is limited, we want it to be a fun toothbrushing time."
After the event, a public experience session was held at the venue.
For parents and children, the event featured a picture-story show explaining the importance of brushing, a quiz contest about cavities, and demo stations for "Sumizumi Clean Kids" and the dedicated web content "Pokémon Brushing Master," drawing large crowds of families.
"Pokémon Brushing Master" works by gradually revealing hidden Pokémon characters as you brush for two minutes using the timer. Each time you brush, you can meet a new Pokémon.
Oral-B Official Website:
https://www.oralb.braun.co.jp/ja-jp
Was this article helpful?
Share this article
