Polluted Fairy Tales

What if our beloved fairy tales were made today, when the oceans are filled with plastic?
Smyle urges a change in our everyday habits to save the world we know.

Client: Smyle | Agency: Fitzroy

For Dutch oral care brand Smyle, we launched a bold awareness campaign aimed at highlighting the impact of plastic pollution — not just on our environment, but on the stories we grew up with.

Each year, millions of tons of plastic end up in our oceans, much of it from single-use packaging. Smyle, already a pioneer in plastic-free oral care, has helped prevent over 10 million plastic packages and microplastics from polluting our waters. This campaign builds on that mission.

Using familiar sea icons from beloved tales, we placed them back into their natural ocean habitats, now polluted and unrecognizable. By contrasting fantasy with reality, we emphasized the urgency of change and the simplicity of making plastic-free choices.

The campaign doesn't just speak to consumers, it challenges the entire industry to do better. It’s a call to action to protect not only the oceans but also the future of storytelling itself.

I was proud to support the creative development of this campaign, contributing ideas and helping shape the concept alongside the Fitzroy Team.

More initiatives are in the works. For now, this campaign is a first step in a larger mission: to keep our oceans, and the stories that live in them, alive.

This campaign was featured in the 230th issue of Lürzer’s Archive, a global showcase of the world’s best advertising.