Promotional Program Shows Brushing Isn't Child's Play

Boston -- With the launch of its Oral-B Stages line of toothbrushes and toothpastes designed to meet the changing needs of children at different stages of dental development, The Gillette Co. is planning to blanket the nation's supermarkets, drugstores and mass merchants with a comprehensive array of P-O-P."We did extensive research with kids, psychologists, parents and pediatric dental professionals to figure out how these toothbrushes should be different," explains Jill Luciani, Oral-B product manager. "This is the first major push at retail to highlight kids' oral care products, either by Gillette or any other manufacturer. The products themselves are new, exciting and beneficial to kids. The combination of products, a great story and great in-store visuals is a winning combination."Gillette's launch of this new line includes in-aisle P-O-P that will be in place when the products begin appearing this month. The temporary P-O-P includes product strips, vertical blade signs and shelf talkers. A semipermanent educational product guide was designed to be attached at the retail shelf with a metal chain. "It provides information to help parents choose the appropriate toothbrush and to help them get their kids to brush properly," says Luciani.The company then plans to build distribution and start supplying the product displays in March to support a national FSI and a print campaign being released in April. Key to the launch is a corrugated 72-piece floorstand that features Disney characters on a growth chart as a visual reminder that kids and their toothbrushes should change and grow together. Its header also includes images of real children of various ages to show that the products are for kids and kids can identify with them. Additional corrugated displays include a drugstore PDQ unit, a stadium tray and a versabox unit that is a larger version of a product strip.Luciani says no manufacturer has ever been able to back up claims they've made regarding the kids' oral care product arena prior to this launch. "Everyone's just been playing the game of characters -- 'What's the character of the moment?'" she says. Now, Gillette's research has shown that kids' teeth evolve over time and their oral care products need to look at the "3D's": dentition, specific characteristics of a child's jaw and teeth; dexterity, a child's ability to effectively reach and clean different areas of the mouth; and development, the factors that motivate a child to brush.The research led to the development of toothbrushes for children at four key stages: four to 24 months, two to four years old, five to seven years old and eight years old and up. Luciani says the brushes have features that address the child's needs according to the 3D's. "A year-old baby can't brush his own teeth because he doesn't have the dexterity," she explains. "We designed the Stage 1 brush to be held by the parent. It has a grip for the parent. Since the gums need to be massaged when a baby is teething, we have the softest bristles available in a wide, flat bristle pattern."In addition, Gillette is offering Stages toothpastes in 4 varieties that differ only in taste. "We're being true to our own research," Luciani says. "Besides the development aspect of kids being attracted to a certain character or a little bit of flavor, there are no physical changes kids go through that require them to use a different toothpaste."Gillette collaborated with Disney for the use of such characters as Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear and the Disney Princesses on the products, packaging and P-O-P."I've been on several account calls where the buyer just loves the promotional program," says Luciani. "They love the look of the products and the look of the P-O-P. They've said, 'We haven't seen displays like this. They'll be fun in our stores.'" Some accounts have even agreed to place P-O-P in multiple store sections. For example, the Stage 1 toothbrush in a special, wider package will be placed in baby care sections. A shelf talker was designed to help gain consumer visibility in that area. In addition, there will be some front-end store placement with corresponding shelf talkers.Promo Edge, Neenah, Wis., produced the in-aisle promotional materials, while Henschel-Steinau Inc., Englewood, N.J., produced the displays. All of the P-O-P was designed by The Creative Services Group, Gillette's in-house design team.The loaded displays will be purchased as part of a display program negotiated between Gillette's direct salesforce and the buyers at the retail level. The in-aisle materials will be distributed free-of-charge through the company's in-house staff, The Gillette Retail Organization. In addition, some distribution will be handled by third-party brokers and other retail representatives.

Promotional Program Shows Brushing Isn't Child's Play

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