FLOW CHART CREST TOOTH PASTE

Flow chart Crest Tooth Paste



Flow chart Crest Tooth Paste

Product Profile

Crest is a brand of toothpaste made by Procter & Gamble and sold worldwide. In many countries in Europe, such as Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Romania, it is sold as Blend-A-Med, the name of an established German toothpaste acquired by P&G in 1987 (formerly Blendax GmbH, located in Mainz, Germany).

While toothpastes containing a fluoride as the active ingredient had already a long history Crest was first introduced in the United States in 1955. At first it used stannous fluoride, marketed as "Fluoristan" (this was also the original brand name it was sold under—it was later changed from "Fluoristan" to "Crest with Fluoristan"). The composition of the toothpaste had been developed by Drs. Muhler, Day and Nebergall at Indiana University, and was patented by Nebergall. Procter and Gamble paid royalties from use of the patent and thus financed a new dental research institute at this university ("The House that Crest built"). The active ingredient of Crest was changed in 1981 to sodium monofluorophosphate, or "Fluoristat". Today Crest toothpastes use sodium fluoride, or "Dentrifice with Fluoristat"; Crest Pro-Health, recently introduced to the market, uses stannous fluoride again and an abrasive whitener together called "Polyfluorite". Crest is noted by the American Dental Association (ADA) as an "effective decay-preventive dentifrice that can be of significant value,” as well as by equivalent dental associations in other countries.

The Crest brand has also been associated with about twenty brands of toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, and dental floss, as well as a tooth-whitening product called Crest Whitestrips. Examples of toothpastes include Crest Pro Health, Crest Tartar Protection, Crest Whitening and Scope flavored toothpaste. The original Crest logo was designed by Donald Deskey.

When Crest first came out in 1955, it was revolutionary--the first cavity fighter. The trouble is that since then, it has been stuck with pretty much the same sales pitch; the same red, white, and blue box; and the same basic "Look, Ma...no cavities" tag line. Meanwhile, the rest of the world has moved on. Consumers have developed concerns beyond cavities--yellowing teeth, sensitive gums, bad breath. While other toothpaste makers moved in to cater to those concerns, Crest just kept fighting cavities. Arm & Hammer launched baking-soda toothpaste; Rembrandt introduced "anti-aging" and whitening formulas; Tom's of Maine rolled out "natural" toothpaste. Mentadent promised to freshen your breath. Between 1987 and 1997, Crest's market share slipped from 39% to 25%.

But the final stroke came in late 1997, when Colgate came out with a toothpaste that fought everything: cavities, tartar, plaque, bad breath, and, most important, gingivitis--that nasty gum disease every dentist in the country harps on. Some 100 million Americans suffer from gum disease, and Colgate's Total is the only toothpaste with FDA approval to claim it fights it. By the end of 1998, thanks to Total, Colgate had grabbed 30% of the toothpaste market--leaving P&G behind at 26%. In an interview with FORTUNE, John Smale, Procter's CEO from 1981 to 1990 and ...