Mouth care brands expand with specialties

Sales expectations in the mouth care product category focus on keeping up the present level. Toothbrush is the leading segment of innovation, but toothpaste and mouth wash novelties are also expected. The Hungarian mouth care index is notoriously bad, because our compatriots hardly go to the dentist, wash their teeth less or buy a new toothbrush less often than consumers in other EU member states. – Unfortunately, the situation is basically the same as in previous years. People pay more attention to problems like tooth sensitivity and gum bleeding, though. It is probably the mouth wash segment that is about to expand a bit – Zoltán Rantal, GlaxoSmithKline Kft.’s brand manager informs us. Gyöngyi Janky, external relations manager at Procter&Gamble thinks that a high number of segments and a wide product selection are characteristic of the category. Consequently, consumers need more help and information to choose a product. Surveys reveal that women pay more attention to mouth care and are more open to new messages. – Despite the crisis, the so-called problem solving products – e.g. Elmex – do not lose their market share. What is more, 2009 SUPERBRANDS winner Elmex managed to expand – says Erika Jakó, senior product manager at TEVA Magyarország ZRT. According to Eszter Bérczi, Unilever Magyarország Kft.’s category operations assistant manager, the crisis will increase demand for lower price and promotional products. Unilever products are present in every price category, be it toothbrush or toothpaste – Amodent (low price), Signal family (medium price), Signal premium (high price). Each Unilever product has an added value (whitening, for sensitive teeth, etc.). Research by Procter&Gamble found that consumers are slowly but steadily becoming more conscious in terms of mouth care. This phenomenon leads to a shift toward higher price products of better quality. According to P&G, target groups are created at the intersection of product advantage and price category most suitable for consumers. GSK’s opinion is that products with a therapeutic benefit are the driving force behind the market expansion of premium products. Their premium brands – Sensodyne, Parodontax, Corega, Aquafresh, Corsodyl – require adequate care concerning both consumers and business partners. They use TV, radio, the printed press, sponsorship and the on-line media to communicate the usefulness of therapeutic mouth care products. Procter&Gamble’s communication strategy is quite similar. Teva promotes its Elmex brand with TV ads, POS campaigns and accentuated personal sales – visiting dentists, pharmacies and shops. Unilever tries to stand out of the crowd with special offers (channel and partner specific), innovation and in-store displays. All manufacturers started to come out with larger packaging units, lowering prices per millilitre, but increasing the average price. Teva plans to market new and improved Elmex toothbrushes. Signal came out with Crystal Gel and Signal Style Tech, the latter being a Pininfarina design. Unilever starts selling its White Now mouth wash in the second half of the year. GSK focuses on its Parodontax brand, launching a new toothbrush and mouth wash.