‘Here She Is, Entering the Building’: Kate McKinnon on Styling Susan Toothbrush for Her Philips Sonicare Campaign

Kate McKinnon is the star of Philips Sonicare’s latest marketing campaign. The comedian and “Saturday Night Live” alum collaborated with the dental brand on a series of ads as Susan Toothbrush, an oral health care enthusiast on a mission to help people upgrade their manual toothbrushes and make the Sonicare switch.

The “Barbie” star spoke with WWD’s Charlie Carballo about the opportunity to partner with the company and embody a new character. “I just believe in the product,” McKinnon said.

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“I mean, I’ve switched from a manual toothbrush myself to a Sonicare, and I just get to enjoy that fresh-from-the-dentist feeling every morning and night, which is just a pleasure. And I love making people laugh, and I wanted to do something really fun.”

McKinnon credited Philips for being “so collaborative” throughout the process, adding, “we came up with this idea of a woman who materializes through bathroom walls, a mythical woman named Susan Toothbrush, who will give it to you straight and help you make the Sonicare switch.”

When it came to creating the character and identifying Susan Toothbrush’s signature style for the campaign, McKinnon collaborated with Philips on creating “a nod to the whimsy and the mythology” while keeping it “sophisticated.”

“We started with a suit, and then there was this vest by chance, and then someone was like, ‘Oh, it should be like a pocket watch chain too.’ And I was like, ‘Ah, yes, that’s it.'”

Once McKinnon suited up for the role, the character came to life. “I put on this suit, and then I was like, ‘Here she is, entering the building,'” McKinnon told WWD. “Styling is such an important storytelling tool, and I think probably the most important. Nailing the look and laboring over every detail is something that I always do,” she said.

“Working with Kate has been the perfect pairing,” said Matina Vidalis, senior marketing director, consumer and professional oral healthcare, Philips North America. “Her enthusiastic energy and unmatched comedic talent are helping empower people to reconsider their current brushing habits and upgrade to a more effective oral health care regimen.”

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