LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES 1 Crest® Look Ma, No Cavities!

Running Head: CREST: LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES 1

Crest®

Look Ma, No Cavities!

Student Name

University or College Name

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 1955. 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,

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).

CREST; LOOK MA, NO CAVITIES! 4

1(Flickr, 2010).

According to an online site, this advertisement was featured in 1960. (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: http://www.flickr.com/ 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 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 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 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 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, 2010”. 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 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).

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References

Advertising Age, 2005. Top 10 slogans of the century. The advertising century. A marketing

history reference resource. Retrieved form: http://adage.com/century/slogans.html

Clothier, P. 2009, December. P&G Chairman Laftey Retries; McDonald succeeds him.

Bloomsburg, LP. Retrieved from: http://www.bloomberg.com/about/

Cotler & Lee. 2004, May. Stanford Social Innovation review. Best of Breed.

Retrieved from: http://www.ssireview.org/site/printer/best_of_breed/

Flickr. Blog, Crest Toothpaste ads by Norman Rockwell, 1955-1959. Yahoo, Inc.

Retrieved from: http://www.flickr.com/

Gilbert, S. 2003, August. NY Times, Health. Oral hygiene may help more than teeth and gums.

Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/

Green, W. & Keegan, M. (2008). Global Marketing (5th ed.).

Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Prentice Hall.

Hoovers Inc, 2010. The Proctor and Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Company reports.

Hoovers a D&B Co. Retrieved from: http://www.hoovers.com/

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., 2006. Hoe Crest made business history, Working Knowledge. Hartford Business

School. Retrieved from: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/4574.html

P&G, 2006. A Company History, 1837- today. Touching lives, improving life.

Retrieved from: http://www.pg.com/translations/history_pdf/english_history.pdf

P &G, 2009. Crest, Dental Hygiene, the brand site. Proctor and Gamble, Inc.

Retrieved from: http://www.crest.com/

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(Crest, 2009).