A brand that is future-proofing to meet future challenges and audience expectations

Oral B is one of the top ten leading oral care brands in the UK (Statista, 2021) with an estimated 24 million people using an Oral B toothbrush (Statista, 2021).

Future proofing a brand relies on two key elements, meeting consumer expectations and protecting market-share.

Protecting Market Share

Claiming to be the ‘future’ of toothbrushing, Dr Robert Hutson patented the ‘Huston Toothbrush’ in 1950 [Figure 1]. The second patent for a ‘mouth brush’ in 1958 [Figure 2] claimed to be more effective than any of the other brushes available.

Figure 1: Patent for first Oral B toothbrush in 1950 (Google Patents, 1950)

Figure 2: Patent for the second Oral B toothbrush in 1955 (Google Patents, 1955)

The Global Electric Toothbrush Market is estimated to reach USD 1,013.7 Million by 2025 (Business Wire, 2021). In such a competitive, performance driven market, innovations need to be focussed on revolutionising the whole toothbrushing experience.

Most people in the UK are still using a standard manual toothbrush, however the amount of people buying electric toothbrushes has steadily increased for a number of years (Statista, 2021). Oral B has ‘future-proofed’ their brand by investing in the technology surrounding electric toothbrushes, while continuing to invest in manual brushes to meet the needs of the consumer.

Consumer demand for smart devices has increased significantly following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Smart health products recorded the fastest growth in the EU7 market, with a 41% increase (ConPolicy, 2021). In fact, sales of smart products performed above market average in 2020, generating a 24% increase in sales across EU7 markets (ConPolicy, 2021). Smart devices are a relatively new market, first emerging in 2016. However, consumers are becoming increasingly convinced by the benefits afforded by smart devices. Market forecast suggests that smart devices will soon have mass market appeal (ConPolicy, 2021), suggesting growth in worth of up to 53.45 billion US dollars (Statista, 2022).

In order to become a market leader, brands need to create a memorable and personalised experience for customers over those offered by competitors, in order to stand out from the crowd (GFK, 2017). Oral-B has risen to this challenge by introducing the iO series.

The iO series sets out to reimagine the rechargeable toothbrush and the experience surrounding it (P&G, 2020). Using innovative technology, the iO series provides:

- Real time feedback on brushing performance

- Positive reinforcement techniques to improve brushing method

- Refill reminders

The iO series is also ADA approved, which helps Oral B to build consumer trust and brand salience as 70% of consumers will choose an approved product over a non-seal alternative (ADA, 2022).

Meeting consumer demands

66% of consumers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations and they want to see innovation, great brand experiences and transparency (Sales Force, 2021). Ethical and sustainable products remain a key driver for almost a third of consumers (Deloitte, 2021) and to meet these demands, Oral B have set out a vision to advance healthy oral care habits (Oral B, 2022).

Oral B have split their approach into three key areas, education, access and innovation; with a goal to educate responsible consumption and healthy oral care habits of 2 billion people by 2030 (Oral B, 2022).

Meeting consumer needs through education

The COVID-19 pandemic left consumers taking their dental health into their own hands due to limited access to dental professionals (GSK, 2020).

Oral B has capitalised on this, by providing educational content on their website, inclusive of articles, videos and livestreaming sessions (Oral B, 2022). Content takes both a traditional approach and a more innovative approach, with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI).

The iO10 series, for example, uses AI to revolutionise the brushing experience. Users can download an app to their phone, which when connected to the toothbrush, gives real time feedback on the brushing technique on all 6 sections of the mouth to ensure optimum hygiene. This technology is also built into the charging unit, meaning the experience can still be had in the absence of a phone.

These technological innovations are not only helping to educate on oral health but are also taking a multi-platform approach to ensure ease of access and message saturation (Marketing Week, 2006).

Meeting consumer needs through accessibility

Another way of meeting changing consumer demands is by providing access to dental care. In the US, Oral B provided $1 million in donated product and dental care to high-risk individuals through a partnership with Dental Lifeline Network during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly in China, they donated more than $2.7 million worth of Crest Sonic Power Toothbrushes to improve the populations oral health (Oral B, 2022). To exceed consumer expectations, Oral B must prove that they have the customers’ best interests in mind (Sales Force, 2021) in order to win the hearts and minds of potential consumers.

Accessibility is also about making a brand transparent. Consumers want to know more than ever before about the products they buy and the more transparent a company is, the more consumer trust it can harness (Kavakli, 2021). Oral B are looking to do this by publishing information about products, ingredients, and safety principles on their website (Oral B, 2022) and social media platforms (Oral B, 2021). This not only helps consumers to make informed decisions about the products they are buying (Arratia, 2012) but also allows them to hold brands to account. This level of transparency also opens up opportunities to deeper and richer conversations between the brand and consumers (Maguire, 2020) which, in turn, will provide further opportunities to futureproof Oral B beyond 2022.

Meeting consumer needs through Innovation

From creating apps that provide dental coaching and encouragement for kids to brush longer (Oral B, 2022), to creating products that require less packaging (Oral B, 2022), innovation is a firm part of the Oral B brand.

However, future proofing is about more than just technical innovation. One of the biggest challenges brands need to tackle is sustainability. Brands that ‘do good’ through corporate social responsibility are continuing to increase in popularity (Hemmings, 2019) and if done well will see increased consumer trust and loyalty (Swaen and Chumpitaz, 2008).

Oral B’s sustainability goals have been created in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2022) and commit to enabling healthy habits for the people and for the planet (Oral B, 2022), by:

- Making packaging 100% recyclable by 2030

- Reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 50% across operations by 2050

- Purchase 100% renewable electricity globally

- Maintaining 100% zero manufacturing waste to landfill across all Oral Care production facilities

- Improve earlier efficiency by 35% by 2030

- Partner with our suppliers to confirm responsible sourcing of plant, animal and mineral derived priority materials by 2030.

Oral B is using innovative techniques to tackle sustainability goals, including the Clic toothbrush – an affordable and sustainable alternative to an electric toothbrush. The Clic provides an attractive long-lasting handle whilst incorporating a replaceable manual head (Oral B, 2022).

Consumers will not accept surface level commitments (Barlow, 2021) and social responsibility must not be seen as a token action. That being said, brands who do successfully act on their commitments to the planet will be part of a green post-COVID recovery and attract customers (Barlow, 2021).

Gen Z are a key generation to focus on when future proofing. Not only as they were particularly affected by the pandemic, but they also represent the future of the workforce. They both expect employers to play an active role in driving sustainability and prefer to buy from brands it considers to be sustainable. They’re even willing to pay 10% more to do so (Barlow, 2021).

The commitments and innovations that Oral B have illustrated are a step in the right direction in meeting consumer demands for more ethical and sustainable products. While progress is being made, more action needs to be taken to ensure they reach their targets.

Looking to the future

Oral B’s main competitor, Philips [Figure 3] are similarly finding solutions to help consumers improve their oral health and build good habits for life (Philips, 2022) – making the need to protect Oral B’s market leader position more crucial than ever.

Figure 3: Brands of power toothbrushes used in the U.S in 2020 (Statista, 2021)

While the steps outlined above are working to futureproofing Oral B, more can be done to meet both consumer demands and protect their market share.

Firstly, stronger links to scientific research and independent accreditations are required. Philips publish research on their website that provides academic backing to their innovations (Philips, 2021). Oral B should follow this lead, in order to protect market share, as consumers are turning to trusted brands, with a strong heritage, that are grounded in science (GSK, 2020).

Secondly, Oral B needs to actively facilitate transparent communication with consumers to address challenges and identify opportunities to develop the brand around the consumer’s needs (Vision Edge Marketing, 2022). They must work harder on engaging with Gen Z who have the potential to invest ahead of the curve. Having a presence on TikTok should be considered, as it is a fast-growing platform that has both marketing and business opportunities (Power, 2021).

For a brand like Oral B future proofing isn’t straightforward. It needs to balance the changing demands of consumers while protecting long-term market share, and a brand reputation built over several years.

We cannot yet determine whether the steps they are taking today will be enough to protect the brand beyond the next 5 years, as we must ask – Will consumers think they have invested in the right areas? Have Oral B truly found a way to satisfy both consumer and business needs? And ultimately, with changing consumer expectations and competitors hot on their heels, will the decisions and investments they make today, be enough to protect their market dominance?

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Figures

Figure 1: GOOGLE PATENTS. 1950. ‘Hutson toothbrush: USD160604S’. Google Patents [online]. Available at: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD160604 [accessed 18th February 2022]

Figure 2: GOOGLE PATENTS. 1955. ‘Brush: US2845649A’. Google Patents [online]. Available at: https://patents.google.com/patent/US2845649 [accessed 18th February 2022]

Figure 3: STATISTA. 2021. ‘Brands of power toothbrushes used in the U.S. 2020’. Statista [online]. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/278172/us-households-brands-of-power-toothbrushes-used [accessed 19th February 2022]

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