The dramatic growth of toothbrush in the United States is due primarily to more concern for oral health by baby boomers. These customers were born from the mid 1940s through the early 1960s and are entering the years during which oral health begins to erode noticeably.
General Analysis
Customer Analysis
According to different intensity of involvement in oral hygiene, oral care consumers can be classified into three groups.
- Therapeutic Brushers aim to avoid oral care problems. For them, a toothbrush is a tool that protects against gum disease, primarily, and tooth decay, secondarily. In this group, major brands used are Oral-B Angle and Oral-B Regular.
- Cosmetic Brushers search for products that effectively deliver cosmetic benefits. Therefore, they pay more attention to a toothbrush's ability to remove plaque and food particles from teeth. Most of them use Colgate Classic and Oral-B Regular.
- Uninvolved Consumers buy toothbrushes only when confronted by oral hygiene problems but lack of interest in product category.
United States
United States
1922 magazine advertisement for Palmolive Soap.Their decisions are based on price and convenience rather than the performance attributes of the brush.
Company Analysis
CP is a global leader in household and personal care product and holds the number one position in the U.S retail toothbrush market.
Strength
Precision is a technical innovation. Compared to other leading toothbrushes, special Oral-B and Reach, it achieves an average of 35% better plaque removal. At the gum line and between the teeth is even more impressive, the brush achieves double the plaque removal scores of competitor brushes.
Weakness
Although selling more toothbrushes in the U.S than does any other firm, comparing to the position in toothpaste market, CP isn't world's leading toothbrushes provider. And Colgate-Palmolive does not yet have a super-premium brush on the market.
Opportunities
Consumers of the baby boomers are becoming more concerned about the...