For many years, consumers who wanted whiter teeth had to use weak over-the-counter polish products, or go to the dentist for bleaching. The over-the-counter products were generally not able to produce dramatic results, as dentist offices could, but the in-office procedure was expensive and inconvenient. In addition, many consumers associate dental visits with unpleasant experiences and are not eager to visit the dentist for more than just a regular check-up and cleaning. Recently, advances in whitening technology have made it possible for consumers to whiten their own teeth at home. Procter & Gamble, one of the largest consumer products companies in the world, undertook market research before launching its own product in this category, and used the research to make decisions about the marketing mix as well as its marketing strategy and tactics. This research considers the effect of the marketing research on the launch of Crest Whitestrips.
Procter & Gamble used market research to determine whether there was a need for a whitening product for in-home use, what type of product would be appropriate, and whether that product would fit with Procter & Gamble's overall marketing strategy. Initial research confirmed that there was, indeed, an unmet need in the market. Research also revealed that consumers would accept a product that required up to 30 minutes of use, and that women were considerably more interested in the product than men. Initially, the company had foreseen a 50-50 split between men and women, but research showed that this was more accurately an 80-20 split with women in the majority ("Research," 2003). The article does not comment on the reasons behind this split, but it may also be that women make many of the consumer product purchasing decisions in married households.
Customer research also determined which brand should be associated with the product (Crest), and distribute strategy. While the product would ...