Crest toothpaste

In 2008, toothpaste advertising took an unexpected turn. Crest, long associated with bright grins and cavity-fighting science, released a commercial that was anything but ordinary. Titled “Bulldozer” the spot opens with a grim scenario: a bulldozer operator tells a group of children he is about to demolish their playground to make room for a power plant. It’s a provocation designed to shock - yet the children, instead of recoiling, smile back at him, their radiant teeth dissolving the tension.

The commercial was conceived by Saatchi & Saatchi New York and directed by Harold Einstein. Produced with a light touch but sharp concept, it became one of Crest’s most celebrated pieces of advertising, earning awards at The One Show and the Andy Awards. Behind its dark humor was a simple idea: a powerful smile can disarm even the harshest news.

Rather than celebrating toothpaste through clinical benefits or gleaming dental charts, Crest leaned into human psychology. The playground may vanish, the power plant may rise, but the children’s smiles remain unbeatable - playful, absurd, and a little unsettling. The campaign reframed oral care not as a chore but as empowerment: a smile strong enough to change the tone of any encounter.

Seventeen years later, “Bulldozer” is still remembered not for its product shots or jingles, but for its daring narrative. In an industry awash with safe, predictable messages, Crest’s commercial bulldozed convention and left viewers with one unforgettable truth: sometimes a smile is the most disruptive force of all.