Why are there so many damn toothpastes?
Come on, I know you have thought about it, albeit more likely while you are standing in the supermarket staring at the aisle filling choices that face you while trying to answer the supposedly simple question: “What toothpaste should I buy?”
And that is just from Colgate...picking a toothpaste is not an easy choice. It is not as though all you need to do is pick your favorite brand – Colgate or Crest? Get past the brand and then you are confronted with an array of some 20-plus varieties, including Baking Soda & Peroxide Whitening with Tartar Control Brisk Mint Paste, Sparkling White Mint Zing, Herbal White, and SpongeBob SquarePants Bubble Fruit. And that is just on the Colgate end of the aisle. Over in Crest there is Vivid White, Rejuvenating Effects, Fresh Citrus Breeze, and Kids’ Spider-Man Super Action Liquid Gel.
Really do we need this many options in order to brush our teeth?
Well someone has finally answered this puzzler for me. You can read the entire article here if you would like, but here are some of the highlights.
...The toothpaste aisle is the purest example of what happens when something prosaic gets whipped up into something special through the magic of design…
...While segmentation is happening all over the store, it’s most extreme in the toothpaste aisle, where you’ve got a mature product category trying to act immature…
...Whitening. Tartar control. Fresh breath. Exotic flavor. Cartoon characters. Glamour. Day-Glo color. Tit for tat. More whitening. It is like nuclear proliferation: escalation without end…
...Another reason the toothpaste aisle looks the way it does is that, through the miracle of computerized manufacturing and design, it takes no time to create a new variety of just about anything…
...pure desperation. Neither company can stop the ramp-up in brand extensions because feverish permutation is the only way to hang on to market share...
What does it really come down to? This is the perfect example of capitalism on technology steroids. You see, there are only so many toothpaste buyers and therefore the market is finite. We basically have two large companies trying to maintain or grow their market share and the only way they can do it is by one-upping the other. This is capitalism at its finest – steal the other guy’s customers and drive them out of business. The problem is that technology has made it so fast and easy to roll out a “new” toothpaste. So as soon as Crest comes up with a new package or flavor, Colgate can copy them in weeks – as can every other manufacturer. So these companies find themselves in a never ending develop-something-new cycle and we end up with a “new” version of toothpaste on a regular 30 day cycle.
Now the question that will now haunt me in the minutes that fill my mind between awake and slumber is - When will it all end? Will toothpaste eventually need its own aisle in the supermarket? Will we need to have toothpaste boutiques to hold all the choices? Will the government need to step in and solve the toothpaste crisis? A national toothpaste? Oops…sorry socialism rearing its ugly head.
The problem with capitalism is that it preys on the natural stupidity of the masses. If you market something differently, then the public is dumb enough to believe that it is different no matter how mundane the product is. Toothpaste hasn't changed in decades. They just repackage their product and we try it because it is new. They come out with a new flavor and we try it because it is new. In the end, it is still just toothpaste. Hey, Joe the Consumer, try picking a toothpaste and sticking with it. It is a simple concept, stop buying what is “new” and they will stop making new things. Then maybe capitalism will work as it should and we can get rid of some of these toothpaste choices and eventually some toothpaste companies.
So, now that the toothpaste mystery has been solved, I guess I can focus on some of the other nagging question I have, like:
What was the best thing before sliced bread?
If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?
It is going to take me a long time to fall asleep tonight. Have a nice weekend.
3 comments:
What about the Mineral Baths.... much more interesting.
Great about I am still waiting to her about this thing with you and "The Rose". Being patient is hard!
Maybe it's because it goes into your mouth so people are much more finicky about what it tastes like and what it's going to do for the appearance? I think it tastes a lot better than that old white pasty stuff.
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