Colgate Total Fresh Stripe Triclosan Toothpaste On Shelves April 1
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Colgate Total Fresh Stripe mint gel toothpaste will ship to the retail market in late March following FDA approval of the Colgate-Palmolive product Dec. 22. The new version of the one-year-old Total dentifrice has a "high impact mint flavor in a striped gel form to broaden its appeal" to gel users and "enhance the long-lasting breath protection benefit" for those consumers looking for a stronger flavor, the company said.
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Colgate Total Fresh Stripe mint gel toothpaste will ship to the retail market in late March following FDA approval of the Colgate-Palmolive product Dec. 22. The new version of the one-year-old Total dentifrice has a "high impact mint flavor in a striped gel form to broaden its appeal" to gel users and "enhance the long-lasting breath protection benefit" for those consumers looking for a stronger flavor, the company said. The new toothpaste will carry the same price points as the original version, at $2.49, $2.99 and $3.49 for 4.2 oz., 6 oz. and 7.8 oz. tubes, respectively. Fresh Stripe is the same formula as the original Colgate Total, which was approved in July 1997 with the active ingredients .3% triclosan and .24% sodium fluoride ("The Rose Sheet" July 21, 1997, p. 6). Colgate's patented co-polymer Gantrez acts as an inactive ingredient said to help the toothpaste continue to work between brushings. Colgate Total's patent on the triclosan/co-polymer combination runs out in 2008. Total was launched in December 1997 with a $100 mil. advertising/promotional budget ("The Rose Sheet" Nov. 3, 1997, p. 8). A print and TV campaign of the same magnitude is planned for Fresh Stripe. The stand-alone marketing push for Fresh Stripe will break by mid to late January. The tag line is expected to play on the toothpaste's minty taste while building on Total's "brushing between brushings" marketing concept, Colgate said. Young & Rubicam (New York City), the ad shop for the original Total, will serve as the agency of record for Fresh Stripe. The toothpaste will also be supported with a sampling program and FSIs. Colgate Total is the only toothpaste approved by FDA for antigingivitis claims in addition to the prevention of caries and plaque. In the U.S., Colgate Total became the number one toothpaste on the market in terms of dollar sales by July 1998, with year-to-date sales approaching $150 mil., according to A.C. Nielsen data. Fresh Stripe is available in 58 countries worldwide. When introduced in the U.K in 1993, Fresh Stripe boosted Colgate market share to 35%, the highest in a number of years. In Canada, Colgate-Palmolive partially attributes its record 43% market share to the 1994 introduction of Fresh Stripe. |