Crest. Look Ma, No Cavities! Student Name. University or College Name

Transcription

1 Running Head: CREST: LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES 1 Crest Look Ma, No Cavities! Student Name University or College Name

2 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 2 Abstract Crest is a brand of oral care products owned by the Procter and Gamble Company. It became one of their power brands five years after its inception in Fluoride, a new ingredient, was proven to fight cavities. Crest was the first toothpaste to earn the American Dental Association s seal of approval. In the past fifty years, the Crest brand has extended its product line to include; mouthwashes, dental floss, teeth whiting strips, and toothbrushes. Crest dominated the oral care market for thirty years. Crest s catchphrase, Look ma- no cavities! was labeled as one of the top advertising slogans of the century. In 1990, Crest finally relinquished its leadership position in the oral hygiene market. The company relied on past successes and failed to respond to an ever changing market. Keywords: cavities, fluoride, oral care,

3 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 3 Crest Look Ma, No Cavities! In the summer of 1837, brother-in-laws William Proctor and James Gamble formulized a partnership and named their company, Proctor and Gamble Company, (P&G). (P&G, 2006). This Cincinnati, Ohio based partnership was quickly and highly successful. According to their online history (P&G, 2006), by the turn of the century P&G was selling more than thirty different innovations. P&G is the current world leader of household products. The company is divided into three global units: household care, beauty and grooming, and health and well-being. The company also makes pet food; water filters, and oddly enough, produces a soap opera. An Internet article validated that in 1955; P&G introduced Crest ; the world s first fluorinated toothpaste (P&G, 2006). An online article stated how Crest quickly rose to market leadership on the strength of an unprecedented 1960 endorsement by the American Dental Association (ADA) (Miskell, 2005). Crest was then clinically proven to fight cavities. Presently, there are five products sold under the Crest label; mouth rinses, toothpastes, dental floss, toothbrushes, and most recently Whitestrips, Crest s signature smile enhancing tooth whitener. Last January, P&G s CEO, A.G. Lafley, turned corporate leadership over to Robert McDonald after twenty five years of service. (Clothier, 2009). Online references stated that in 2009, Mr. Lafley s final year at P&G, the company made over $78 million in revue (Hoovers, 2010).

4 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 4 1 (Flickr, 2010). According to an online site, this advertisement was featured in (Flickr, 2010). As stated previously, the ADA seal of approval vaulted Crest s market share from nine to thirty five percent. (Miskell, 2005). The toothpaste was also received a concurrent endorsement from The Good Housekeeping Seal of approval. P&G licensed the famous artist Norman Rockwell as the graphic designer for this ad. Growing up in the early 1960 s, my household was included in Crest s thirty five (35) percent market share. My mother would only purchased Crest toothpaste. I recall really not 1 Flickr Blog, (2010). Crest toothpaste ads by Norman Rockwell. Yahoo, Ins. Retrieved from:

5 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 5 liking the taste. People are creatures of habit; therefore, I purchased Crest for Kids toothpaste for my preteen children. Unlike the single brand Crest I had to use when growing up; my children loved the taste, variety, and the sparkle in the gel of Crest for Kids. There are now numerous fluorinated brands available and my loyalty has switched. The reason I choose the Crest brand was because of childhood memories. I am curious to see if through marketing research, I can figure out why I am no longer a loyal Crest customer. SWOT Analysis Strength o Reached Global Markets According to the global markets textbook, for a brand to grow it needs to expand globally (Green & Keegan, 2008). Online research reveals that all Crest products are sold globally in major markets (Hoovers, 2010). According to the brand management textbook, companies grow faster and reach more global markets when they sell their product(s) online (Keller, 2008). After fully researching the brand s website, I concluded the company does not sell its products online; however, most of the companies that sell Crest products are involved in e-commerce. (Crest, 2009). This indirectly makes Crest products available for online sales. The brands home site has a link that informs the consumer where the products can be purchased in their immediate area. (Crest, 2009). There are also links to Crest (P&G) worldwide sites. These sites offer the same information and service as the US- English site. (Crest, 2009). Weakness o Loss of Competitive Advantage Crest s age old mantra was always, Look ma- no cavities! (Marketing Age, 2005). This claim was validated by the ADA because of its key ingredient, fluoride. An online

6 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 6 marketing textbook contents that since its inception in 1955, brand management of Crest has relied heavily on the unique selling benefit of fighting cavities. (Pearson edu, 2007). The brand took too long to adjust and comply with the constantly evolving oral hygiene market. The brand management textbook (Keller, 2008), stressed brands ought not to rely on past marketing strategies, even if they proved to be successful. Company marketing departments must keep abreast of the market, and anticipate future consumer wants and needs. According to the online textbook (Pearson edu, 2007) Crest has had other brand extensions that offer other benefits, but the fights cavities benefit is a fixture in the minds of the consumer. After thirty years, Crest finally lost their top product sales position to Colgate (Pearson edu, 2007). Opportunity o Niche Target Market In 2010, the bulk of the US populations are baby boomers. Born between 1945 and 1964, they are an aging segment of the populace obsessed with attempting to stay young. My dentist stated that as humans mature, tooth enamel naturally thins and loses their white sparkle. He also has stated many baby boomer and elderly physical problems stem from improper oral care. (Dr. Dietman, DDM). P&G has an opportunity to increase revenue by concentrating their efforts on this large niche market needs. Online research revealed that in 2001, P&G introduced Crest Whitestrips. (Crest, 2009). Whitestrips quickly became a huge success for Crest. It enabled the brand to regain some of the market share recently lost to Colgate. (Miskell, 2005). I feel the introduction of Whitestrips was the resurgence of a campaign to regain loyalty back from the baby boomers that grew up on Crest and have since gravitated to other brands. Threat o Competition

7 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 7 Competition has posed a threat for the Crest brand for the last twenty years. Online research showed Colgate brand oral care products have had a competitive edge over Crest for decades (Miskell, 2005). I think Crest has the ability to overwhelm the competition again if they stay focused, use their internal research resources, and develop new products targeting baby boomer future wants and needs. This needs to be accomplished sooner than the Colgate Palmolive Company. Power of the Brand Terms and/or Concepts. Chapter 6 of the brand management textbook (Keegan, 2008), states that in recent years many forms of non-traditional marketing communications emerged. The author further clarified this by referencing the new media ads which appear anywhere consumers have as little as a second or two to spot them. Crest brands advertise heavily at the point of purchase. There are advertisements for their brands on shopping carts in the grocery store and the local CVS drugstores. At different times, instant coupon machines are often conspicuously seen on the shelves for different Crest products. I feel instant coupon machines can sway a first time or loyal customer into an impulse purchase. This advertising strategy has previously worked on me. Instant coupon machines are a cost effective advertising method, and help with brand success. Chapter 7 of the brand management textbook defines Co-branding as when two or more existing brands are comingled to make another product. The textbook further elaborated that for successful co-branding; both brands must have favorable and significant brand awareness, unique associations with consumers, and overall positive consumer judgment and feelings (Keller, 2008). P&G combined their top selling toothpaste with their number one mouthwash and successfully marketed Crest plus Scope. This co-branding event originally appealed to

8 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 8 consumers wanting to prevent cavities while freshening breath. This co-branding strategy was so successful that many varieties of Crest toothpaste are now enhanced with Scope mouthwash. Maintaining brand equity is the responsibility of the Chief Brand Officer (CBO) according to Keller (2008). One online source reported that P&G has 91 executives (Hoovers, 2010). None of these executives are entitled as a CBO. P&G owns many brands and I strongly feel the Crest brand would not be as deeply-seated in the health and well being category without one or more P&G executive s performing CBO type duties and functions. Chapter 8 of the marketing textbook outlines normal CBO responsibilities. These responsibilities include organizing marketing partners, development of brand design structure, and sustainment of the overall brand health (Keller, 2008). Crest is one of P&G s strongest brands. My research validates my conclusion that the brand is aggressively managed by P&G executive(s) under other title(s). The textbook defines brand stature (current power) as how a brand has performed in the past and the power earned from that history (Keller, 2008). Chapter 9 of the textbook explains that brand stature is based on esteem (how the brand is liked, regarded, and respected) and knowledge (how familiar and intimate consumers are with the brand) (Keller, 2008). In the past twenty (20) years, the Crest brand of oral care products has lost some brand stature. Crest did not keep up with recent market demands. It relied too heavily on the past successful no cavities slogan of the past. The brand became stagnant, offering nothing new to its target market. Internet research has shown that Crest Whitestrips has increased brand market share and regained some lost stature. (Miskell, 2006). In 2000, Crest s North American Marketing Director read a report about the silent epidemic of oral disease among low income U.S. families. One online article reported that

9 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 9 Crest immediately started to develop a program for Cause marketing (CMS). (Cotler & Lee, 2004). Chapter 10 of the brand textbook defines a CMS program is when a company offers to contribute to and/or help a charitable type cause (Keller, 2008). CMS programs are often times a powerful useful marketing strategy. CMS utilizes marketing principles and techniques to foster behavior change in a target population, while at the same time building markets for products or services according to an online article (Cotler & Lee, 2004). The by-product of a CMS program is that society benefits from its implementation. Crest s innovative program is called, Crest Healthy Smiles, Crest partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and invested millions in product and monetary donations to create Cavity Free Zones. All locations have a Cavity Free Zone. The article further stated that Cavity Free Zones provide oral health education, tools, and access to low income deserving families nationwide. The partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of America is a natural fit. Some Cavity Free Zone locations have an onsite dental clinic sponsored by Crest. (Cotler & Lee, 2004). I think the Crest Healthy Smiles, 2010 is a wonderful program benefiting underdeveloped communities and a very insightful CMS strategy on the part of the brand. Boys & Girls Clubs members and volunteers are part of Crest s target market. This program will increase Crest brand strength now and in the future. Conclusion Proper oral care is a health issue as well as a cosmetic concern. It is a proven fact that some health afflictions start with improper oral care and begin to show signs at midlife. Presently, the largest demographic age group of Americans is the Baby Boomers. They account

10 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 10 for approximately half the U.S. population. Crest is well positioned in the Baby Boomer oral care market (Cotler & Lee, 2004). Recommendations One thing I would recommend is that Crest should be able to successfully leverage this aging market to boost revenue, market share, and hopefully regain market leadership. Research shows an increased prevalence of gum disease among diabetics. Several medical studies have indicated a correlation between periodontal disease and heart and circulatory system illnesses. My marketing strategy would be to do or sponsor the necessary medical research and development needed to gain valuable product endorsements from the American Diabetes Association and/or American Heart Association (Miskell, 2006). A product endorsement from either one of these organizations could be linked to the original 1960 ADA endorsement. The marketing effect of such a linkage would be a tremendous blow to the competition. I would also recommend expanding the Crest Whitestrips advertising program to include celebrity endorsements in Internet, print, and television media (Keller, 2008).

11 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 11 References Advertising Age, Top 10 slogans of the century. The advertising century. A marketing history reference resource. Retrieved form: Clothier, P. 2009, December. P&G Chairman Laftey Retries; McDonald succeeds him. Bloomsburg, LP. Retrieved from: Cotler & Lee. 2004, May. Stanford Social Innovation review. Best of Breed. Retrieved from: Flickr. Blog, Crest Toothpaste ads by Norman Rockwell, Yahoo, Inc. Retrieved from: Gilbert, S. 2003, August. NY Times, Health. Oral hygiene may help more than teeth and gums. Retrieved from: Green, W. & Keegan, M. (2008). Global Marketing (5 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Prentice Hall. Hoovers Inc, The Proctor and Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Company reports. Hoovers a D&B Co. Retrieved from: Keller, L.K., (2008). Brand and Brand Management. In Pearson (Ed.). Strategic brand management, 3rd Edition., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:, Prentice Hall. Miskell, P., Hoe Crest made business history, Working Knowledge. Hartford Business School. Retrieved from: P&G, A Company History, today. Touching lives, improving life. Retrieved from: P &G, Crest, Dental Hygiene, the brand site. Proctor and Gamble, Inc. Retrieved from:

12 CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 12 (Crest, 2009).