679Whitening ointments are probably familiar to everyone. Many domestic brands like to use exaggerated before-and-after comparisons to showcase their effects in promotions, and everyone should be very familiar with this tactic by now.
But unexpectedly, "foreigners" on TikTok are also very receptive to this approach. Under the #teethwhitening tag alone, there are as many as 642,500 related videos!
Tuke discovered that an Australian brand frequently appears in these videos—HiSmile. Upon investigation, it was found that this brand achieved a leap from zero to $300 million in annual sales in just five years, and even once crashed its website due to a 500% surge in orders.
Image source: HiSmile official website
From Garage Startup to $300 Million Annual Sales
According to information, in 2014, 21-year-old Alex Tomic and 22-year-old Nik Mirkovic started the HiSmile brand in a garage on Australia's Gold Coast with an initial investment of 20,000 AUD.
At that time, the teeth whitening market was polarized: either expensive dentist cold light whitening services or home products with poor user experience. It was hard for ordinary people to find products that combined "professional results and affordable prices." The two founders targeted this market gap, collaborated with chemical experts to develop 30-second effective, non-irritating whitening strips and devices, and entered the market with "family-friendly prices."
Alex Tomic & Nik Mirkovic Image source: Internet
Initial research for the HiSmile brand showed that the "medicalized" positioning of traditional whitening products failed to appeal to young women. So they instead linked their products to "happiness" and "confidence," precisely capturing the 15-24 year-old female demographic.
This strategy quickly paid off. Within 18 months, their revenue broke through 10 million AUD, and they subsequently expanded their product line to include toothpaste, mouthwash, and more.
By 2023, their annual sales had exceeded $300 million, their user community surpassed 3 million, and they became one of the fastest-growing oral care brands globally.
Image source: HiSmile
Multi-Platform Coordination: Mastering the Traffic Matrix
In the early days of HiSmile, they faced the common challenge of most startups: limited budget and urgent growth needs. Therefore, how to acquire organic traffic through social media became a key part of their brand promotion.
1. TikTok: The Creative Factory for Dissemination
Information shows that HiSmile made TikTok its main operational base. Their marketing strategy focused on "authenticity," using direct demonstrations of significant before-and-after product changes to create strong visual contrast and achieve promotional goals.
Image source: TikTok
As of now, HiSmile's TikTok account @hismile has gained over 5.1 million followers and a total traffic of 940 million, including several videos with over 100 million views.
For example, a scenario-based comparison video posted by the account in December 2023 used a tight rhythm + storyline guidance. Upon release, the video quickly surpassed 100 million views and has now reached 182 million plays, bringing huge exposure to the brand.
Image source: TikTok
Besides operating the official account, HiSmile also invested most of its resources in collaborating with influencers.
Looking at HiSmile's influencer collaboration matrix, they prefer to work with mid-tier influencers. Although these influencers have relatively fewer followers, the sales they generate are considerable.
Image source: Echotik
Take influencer @CassieSaylor (411,200 followers) as an example. She collaborated with HiSmile on 9 promotional videos, bringing the brand an estimated $379,000 in sales.
Among these promotional videos, the highest-traffic one was a review video posted in May 2024. So far, this video has received 1.18 million views, bringing good traffic and attention to the brand.
Image source: TikTok
2. Instagram: Building a Brand Trust System
HiSmile's marketing model on Instagram is not much different from TikTok, with the added distinction of regularly posting high-quality product images to strengthen the brand image.
In addition, user interaction is also a focus for the brand. They actively respond to user comments in the comment section, establishing good interaction with Instagram users.
Image source: Instagram
3. Independent Website: The Ultimate Battlefield for Traffic Conversion
Driven by both product and social media marketing, the independent website became the final link for HiSmile's traffic conversion.
Currently, the brand's independent site maintains about 160,000 organic visits per month, with the US, UK, and Germany as the main traffic contributors.
Image source: similarweb
Third-party platform data shows that HiSmile's site traffic is mainly divided into four parts: direct visits (52.27%), organic traffic (45.35%), social (10.24%), and external links (14.01%).
This shows that the brand has not only established stable influence but also achieved sustainable traffic growth through multi-channel layout. Especially in mature European and American markets, the brand has formed a virtuous cycle of organic traffic and proactive marketing.
Image source: similarweb
Where is the Next Stop for Overseas Markets?
HiSmile's success is not only a victory of product and traffic, but also reveals the underlying logic of global brands: precise insight into demand, localized operations, and multi-platform coordination.
For domestic companies, overseas markets are by no means out of reach. Currently, the global consumer market is undergoing structural changes. Emerging channels (such as TikTok e-commerce) have lowered the barriers to going global, and regional cultural differences are creating segmented opportunities.
Competition in overseas markets is fierce, but in the long run, there is still room for growth.
The next five years will belong to those who dare to step out of their comfort zone and tell a good brand story with localized thinking!
