• OCSB has to urgently finalize areas of expansion that will build on existing equity and add equity on beauty related benefits if it wants to stay in the race for the top brands in the domain.
• Marketing initiatives need to be reworked such that current volumes are maintained and OCSB equity is strengthened.

Insight

• Oral Care is one of the keys to consumer self image. No longer satisfied with just clean and white teeth, consumers are increasingly seeking fresh breath and healthier looking teeth.
• Even in developing markets, the influence of western media has contributed to the consumer belief that healthy and healthy-looking teeth are a signal of personal success, even more than clothes and jewelry. Consumers in such markets are therefore prepared to spend an above-average proportion of their income on such enhancements.

Demographic and usage related segments
Eleven major categories in the domain.

• Toothpaste
• Brushes
• Gums
• Portable Mints
• Mouthwash
• Floss & Implements
• Fresheners
• Appliances
• Denture Cleansers
• Denture Adhesives
• Whiteners

Categories have widely differing user profiles.

• Breath related category user profile varies by ethnicity.
• Cross-category user profile suggests attitudinal differences especially among heavy users of mouthwash and floss.
• Heavy domain usage driven by multi-category usage.
• OCSB brand usage higher in larger families. Usage profile benefits from original cavity protection positioning.

User and Non-User segments

On the basis of consumption behavior, there are three consumer segments:

1. Heavy Users
2. Medium Users
3. Light Users

Psychographic and behavioral segments

On the basis of consumer attitudes towards oral care, the market has 4 psychographic or attitudinal segments:

1. Compulsives (consumers who believe their oral health will have a direct impact on their overall well-being) - 30% of adult toothpaste consumers.
2. Worriers (consumers who worry about oral health but follow regular consumption behavior) - 20% of adult toothpaste consumers.
3. Sociables (consumers who are more interested in oral appeal as it relates to their relationships in society) - 20% of adult toothpaste consumers.
4. Others - 30% of adult toothpaste consumers

Profile of Compulsives segment

Demographics

• Total estimated population of such consumers is 3 MM. Of these 40% are in the age group of 25-34 and 40% in the age group of 35-50.
• They usually belong to higher income groups as compared to the general population. 12% of them are in the highest income segment of SEC 1 (>$100,000). 37% and 34% are in SEC 2 ($60-99,000) and SEC 3 ($40-59,000) respectively.
• They also tend to be highly educated consumers with 28% being graduates (highest level of education) and 47% being undergraduates.
• They are usually employed as white collar (33%), blue collar (30%), self-employed (17%) and in government (15%).
• 70% of these consumers live in urban Dentia.

Behaviors

• They shop heavily in hypermarkets (50%) and supermarkets (30%).
• They are heavy users of toothpastes with 60% belonging to the heavy user segment
• and 25% to the medium users segment.

Psychographics

• They believe that their oral health will have a direct impact on their overall well-being.
• They see oral care as a key ingredient in their health regimen and relate bright smiles to health.

• What are the attitudinal or psychographic causes of the differences among ethnicities?
• What is the motivation of users/buyers who cross purchase and use four or even five different “categories” on a regular basis?
• What are the physiological issues involving taste for Oral-Centered Self-Confidence group and do they differ by psychographics and demographics?
• Are there any other products that the light users use for oral care?
• Are there any trends to these segments over the lifespan of OCSB?
• Can we project how these segments may change and influence our product development?
• Can we project the dollar value of each of these segments based on their how behavior and usage of oral car products?
• How much are compulsive consumers willing to spend monthly for oral care?

Usage Occasions

1. Habitual vs. event-focused
2. Used once per day vs. multiple times per day
3. Prevention-oriented vs. immediate problem solution
4. Used in-home vs. out of home

Usage Behavior

• Consumer solutions involve differing brushing regiments including brushing longer, more frequently, in conjunction with mouthwash or using extra toothpaste.

Dental-related solutions are:

• Expensive whitening treatment
• Child and adult orthodontia
• Anti-grinding guards for use during sleep

                               Also Users of  
Mouthwash Usage		Gum	Portable Mints 		Fresheners
Use mouthwash regularly	58		45			41
Use mouthwash sometimes	41		30			21
Never use mouthwash	30		15			5 

Behavior by product category.

• Toothpaste usage is flat
• Mouthwash usage is in 60% of households

Aggressive Brushing Pattern:

• 5-10% of consumers adopt exceptionally longer brushing
• 10% of consumers brush 2 or more times per day

Most frequent Dentist-related solutions:

• Caries treatment via fillings
• Caps/bridges and dentures
• In-office whitening
• Mechanical surface cleaning/polishing
• Gum cleaning/treatment
• Anti-grinding guards
• Orthodontics

• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Usage Behavior, NFO, 2003
• Toothpaste Usage Habits, 2000-2002
• Usage of Non-Toothpaste Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Focus Group
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Usage Outside the Home, 1998
• Morning through the Mirror Ethnographic Study, 2002
• Gums, Mints and Freshener Usage, 2001
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Habits of Denture Wearers, 1998
• Whitener Usage Study, 2003
• Brushing Habits Study, 1997
• Brushing Frequency Study, 2001

• If we added mouthwash to our toothpaste, how would consumers respond?
• If we made a thicker, creamier toothpaste, how would consumers respond?
• How do consumer solutions differ across income levels of consumers?
• What would motivate habitual users to use OCSB products more than once a day? Ease of use? Convenience?
• What motivates users to brush for more than 30 seconds?
• What further consumer insights can we uncover of those who use mouthwash throughout their day? By ethnic group?
• Why is there lower usage of our sub-categories and flankers such as tartar control and anti-gum disease?
• If whitening with the dentist is expensive, why is whitening one of the smallest sub-segments in the oral care domain space?

Brand Associations
OCSB functional attributes
• Domain has three major benefits: therapeutic, preventive, and cosmetic.
• The OCSB has a vestigial therapeutic benefit from its perception of healing or treating cavities.
• Taste is important entry-level benefit especially in toothpaste.
• Mouth feel is also a benefit from brushing, appliances and flossing.
• Toothpaste benefit profile gravitating away from cavity prevention.

Emotional benefits
There are four major emotional benefits:
• Avoidance of embarrassment / social acceptance
• Appearance enhancement / sex appeal
• Important routine / part of my day
• Disease prevention/ protects me from germs / health enhancement

There are two emotional benefits of OCSB:
• Improving family health
• Protection from germs

Consumer Values
There are five major consumer values in the category:

1. Social acceptance/avoidance of offending others.
2. . Personal appearance/self-confidence/appeal to others.
3. Health protection.
4. Self-discipline/value of the routine.
5. Good example for children/teaches healthy habits.

These are not mutually exclusive or conflicting values.

OCSB values associated with usage
• Avoidance of offending others
• Health preservation and disease prevention
• Self discipline

Good family health habits/good.

Category Equity Map
Core Truth
• Principal hopes are: An attractive smile, straight, well-formed teeth,
  a germ-free mouth and sweet breath.
• Primary fears are: An unsightly smile, periodic pain, cracked or broken teeth, night grinding and germs.

• Emotional Benefits in the Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Domain, 2001
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Attitudes, 1999
• Gums, Fresheners and Mints, 1996
• Senior Citizens and Oral-Centered Self-Confidence, 1998
• Flossing U&A, 2001
• Flossing Barriers and Benefits, HHS 2000
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Focus Group Summary, 2002
• Morning Through the Mirror Ethnographic Study, 2002
• The OCSB as Therapy, 1969
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Therapeutic Attitudes and Beliefs, 1985
• Toothpaste Usage and Attitudes, 1994
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Conjoint Analysis, 1998
• Consumer Attitudes Toward High-Impact Flavor Brands, 1987
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Attitude Study, 1999 and 2001
• Feelings and Behavior, 2002
• Emotional Benefits in the Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Domain, 2001

• How does our brand reinforce our target audiences’ hopes or deliver on their hopes?
• How does our brand relieve our target audiences’ fears?
• How does our brand compare to its competitive set in alleviating consumer fears and addressing their hopes?
• Are there any trends to these values over the lifespan of OCSB?
• Can we project how these values may change and influence our product development?
• What are the non-rational factors that attribute to the polar opposite appeal and usage of categories (i.e. floss and breath related products)?
• What do consumers perceive as the tangible benefits related to the “clean mouth feel”?
• What beneficial characteristics do consumers attribute to toothpaste viscosity and bubble size? Where do those benefits rank amongst all the benefits?

• OCSB purchase cycle lengthening, purchase size increasing.
• Mass channel winning dramatically, drug channel gaining, while food channel declines.

• Purchasers vs. Users in Oral-Centered Self-Confidence, 2001
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Response to Retail Merchandising, 2000
• Consumer Worth in Oral-Centered Self-Confidence, 2002
• Cross Purchasing in Oral-Centered Self-Confidence, 2003
• In Aisle Behavior in OTC, 2001 Millward Brown
• The Effect of Retail Plan-o-grams on Product Purchase, 2000
• The Mega-Set Study, 2002

• Is there a way to influence usage given the lengthening of the purchase cycle and increase in purchase size?
• What drives the fast growth in OTC for Oral-Care Self-Confidence?
• What would motivate increase loyalty (SOR) for OCSB, particularly in toothpaste?

• Health-concerned/disease fighters tend to be much heavier internet users and magazine readers than TV watchers. They tend to watch Cable News and Lifestyle channels and be interested in health, science, medicine, diet and travel websites and magazines.
• Those who value personal appearance use the Internet less than average, read less and watch TV more than average. They tend to watch Cable TV and prefer Lifestyle or news oriented programs.
• Magazines are the preference for heavy users of Oral-Centered Self-Confidence domain.
• The heavy-user category spend more hobby and leisure time – at least 2 hours per week -- involved in physical activity compared the to average user.

• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Domain Media Habits, ACNielsen 2003
• Personal Values and Media, Millward Brown
• Hobbies, Habits and Media, Yankelovich 1999
• Personal Time Management, University of Michigan 2002

• What other media usage differences are there by value group or user group?
• How much does our target audience rely on advertising vs. editorial to get his/her product information?
• What is the usage of media type by daypart? How does this differ across seasons?

• Promotions have effectively driven topline growth by between 5 and 8%
• Brand equity has suffered somewhat as a result of promotional activity. Lower prices as a result of promotions have caused our equity attribute ownership for “high quality” to decline and ownership for “good value” to increase.

Brand Equity Monitor shows a decline in key equity attributes:
	High Quality	38% vs. 45% in the prior year’s study
	Good Value	32% vs. 23% in the prior year’s study

• Advertising, while memorable, is not establishing a strong enough brand recognition or awareness.
• As a result of the first point, trial and conversion rates have been disappointing.

AC Nielsen Household panel data indicates that trial among target consumer households have been flat; 3% of target households tried the brand during the third quarter but this is not different from periods when advertising was not on air.

What are the drivers for trial in the category?

• Loyalty levels declining for OCSB among non-cavity-concerned.
• OCSB usage higher in households with children and those with heavy mouthwash and breath-related product usage.

• The OCSB as Therapy, 1969
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Therapeutic Attitudes and Beliefs, 1985
• Toothpaste Usage and Attitudes, 1994
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Conjoint Analysis, 1998
• Consumer Attitudes Toward High-Impact Flavor Brands, 1987

• Is there a way to influence usage given the lengthening of the purchase cycle and increase in purchase size?
• What would motivate increase loyalty (SOR) for OCSB, particularly in toothpaste?
• What can we do to attract non-cavity concerned compulsive segments.

• Toothpaste declining in importance within the overall domain.
• Anti-cavity benefit declining in importance.
• OCSB’s loyalty declining.
• Heavy user pattern emerging among those who
  use multiple categories

• A C Niesen Homescan Panel for Oral-Centered Self-Confidence
• Spectra Summary, 2003 Q1
• ACNielsen Homescan Usage
• Formula Loyalty Trends, 2001
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Focus Groups Summaries; 1999, 2000, 2001
• Oral-Centered Self-Confidence Usage Behavior, NFO, 2003

• What does competition perceive the market structure to be in the near to medium term?
• What are the key differentiators that the competitors are likely to use

1. Expensive dental professional / clinical-related solutions are an opportunity for OCSB to explore. These are non-cavity areas and of high concern to the attractive target group of compulsives.

2. There is an opportunity for non brushing products that give beauty benefits