BACKGROUND: Every year, 20 billion plastic toothpaste tubes are produced. 1.5 billion of them end up in our landfills or polluting the oceans. The rest are burned, causing CO2 emissions. Brushing our teeth the traditional way leaves a significant footprint. Eco-friendly company “Smyle” makes toothpaste products that do not leave a footprint. Their toothpaste tablets contain zero microplastics, their packaging is made of recycled glass, and the delivery of their products is C0-2 neutral. Smyle wanted to convey this mission to the world in the strongest way possible, via advertising that embodies what they stand for. The mission was two-fold: to inspire people to switch to plastic-free toothpaste products, and to get a foot in the door of a retail world which is heavily dominated by big toothpaste brands that produce plastic tubes. STRATEGY Greenwashing has made it increasingly more challenging for consumers to trust what brands claim about sustainability. So, for Smyle to become a trusted sustainable brand, everything they do should reflect their beliefs about pollution– their communication included. Their goal is to leave no footprint, so their advertising shouldn't leave one either. IDEA/CONCEPT We created the biggest and cleanest billboard in the world, with a message completely made out of 135.000 human footsteps in the snow: “These are the only footprints we want to leave behind.” The billboard had a record-breaking size of 13,625 meters, and was created by Simon Beck, one of the most renowned snow artists in the world. After just two days, it was completely covered by snowfall, leaving no footprints behind – embodying Smyle's sustainable mission. But by capturing it, it lived on, continuing to create impact in digital media. EXECUTION Snow-artist Simon Beck has an amazing ability to create his art without any help of technology or machines. One step at a time, he created the billboard in just two days, with a stunning 135.000 steps in total. We captured his masterpiece shortly before Mother Nature took care of the clean-up; after a night of snow-fall, it was as if our billboard had never even been there. IMPACT/RESULTS Even though the billboard left no footprint behind, it made a massive impact online, resulting in 8,5+ million media impressions. In effect, the campaign drew the attention of 3.000 retailers who cleared a spot on their shelves for Smyle. This is an essential accomplishment to fulfilling their sustainable vision, and was thought to be nearly impossible for a small brand competing against corporate giants. Smyle experienced a 500% increase in brand recognition, and most importantly, prevented 4.2 million plastic toothpaste tubes.