HiSmile's Marketing Strategy: How Influencers Built a Global Teeth-Whitening Brand

HiSmile grew from a A$20,000 start-up into a global teeth-whitening brand by putting almost all of its marketing into social media. Founders Nik Mirkovic and Alex Tomic seeded free products to small influencers, scaled up to celebrity partners such as Kylie Jenner and Conor McGregor, reinvested heavily in social, and later went viral on TikTok with its purple V34 colour-corrector toothpaste. It remains one of the clearest examples of an influencer-first, direct-to-consumer brand.

How HiSmile started

Childhood friends Nik Mirkovic and Alex Tomic came up with the idea over dinner on Australia's Gold Coast in 2014. They had no background in dentistry or beauty, but saw that teeth whitening had plenty of products and very little brand. They started HiSmile with A$20,000, aiming squarely at social media users aged roughly 15 to 35.

Their at-home whitening kit was designed to be quick and simple to use, which made it easy to demonstrate on camera, an important advantage for a brand that would live on social media.

The HiSmile marketing strategy: five things that drove growth

1. Micro-influencer seeding before celebrities

HiSmile didn't start with big names. The founders sent free products to small creators with around 1,000 to 3,000 followers and asked for feedback. Many shared their results unprompted, giving the brand a stream of authentic content and proof that influencer marketing worked before they spent big on it.

2. The right celebrity at the right moment

In 2016, HiSmile partnered with Kylie Jenner. Her Instagram post with a HiSmile kit received around 1.8 million likes and made the brand an overnight talking point. Other high-profile partners, including Conor McGregor, followed. The founders have stressed that fit matters: celebrities and creators need to match the brand's voice, not just have a big audience.

3. Social-first, and heavily reinvested

HiSmile's marketing ran almost entirely through social channels. In its early years, the founders said they spent around half of revenue on social media. That reinvestment fuelled rapid growth: according to Entrepreneur, the brand reached A$10 million in its first 18 months and A$50 million after three years.

4. Before-and-after content that sells itself

Teeth whitening is inherently visual. Customer and creator before-and-after content gave HiSmile a constant supply of user-generated proof, which built credibility and kept feeds full without the brand having to produce everything itself.

5. A product built for TikTok

HiSmile's purple V34 colour-corrector toothpaste became a viral hit on TikTok, with its instantly visible effect and distinctive packaging made for short-form video. It also drew criticism on social media about how its results should be described, a reminder that viral products face close scrutiny.

What premium brands can learn from HiSmile

• Prove influencer marketing small before you scale it. Seeding micro-creators gives you content, feedback and evidence cheaply.
• Choose partners for fit, not just reach. HiSmile's founders were clear that creators must match the brand's voice.
• Make products that are easy to show. A visible, demonstrable result turns customers into content creators.
• Reinvest where the audience is. HiSmile committed its budget to the channels its customers actually used.
• Be ready for scrutiny. Viral attention brings questions about claims, so keep messaging accurate.

HiSmile is a mass-market brand, but the principles translate to premium. Luxury brands can apply the same thinking with more selective creators, higher production standards and a slower, more considered cadence.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded HiSmile?

HiSmile was founded in 2014 on Australia's Gold Coast by childhood friends Nik Mirkovic and Alex Tomic, with A$20,000 of starting capital.

How did HiSmile market itself?

Almost entirely through social media: seeding products to micro-influencers, partnering with celebrities such as Kylie Jenner and Conor McGregor, reinvesting heavily in social, and using before-and-after content.

What did Kylie Jenner do for HiSmile?

Kylie Jenner posted about HiSmile on Instagram in 2016. The post received around 1.8 million likes and brought the brand to a global audience almost overnight.

What is HiSmile V34?

V34 is HiSmile's purple colour-corrector toothpaste, which went viral on TikTok for its instantly visible effect.

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