Introduction
The company chose for this assignment is Colgate. Colgate is a division of the Colgate-Palmolive brand that produces soaps, detergents and oral hygiene products. Colgate focuses on oral hygiene and is a maker of toothpaste and toothbrushes. Started in 1806 by William Colgate as a soap and candle company. When William died in 1857, his soon took over. In 1837, Colgate introduced their first toothpaste and was the first to introduce toothpaste in a tube. In 1928 Palmolive-Peet bought Colgate and in 1953 the name changed to Colgate-Palmolive (Colgate-Palmolive, 2012). Today Colgate is one of the leading manufacturers of toothpaste, with Procter & Gamble as their main competition.
Competitive Factor
While in 1992 Colgate was the leader in oral hygiene products, toothbrush competitors emerged as the obsession with oral health increased. Colgate has several big competitors that produce products that are potentially more advanced or incorporate mouthwash into toothpaste, creating new features. The pairing of Crest with Scope lead to competition for Colgate. The pairing of Oral B with dentists gave them the dentist recommendation lead. (Priestley, 2011) Consumer behaviour is constantly changing, and new technology is emerging, therefore competitors might be offering promotions.
Environmental Factor
Customers are finally starting to get informed about oral health and the importance of gum disease. Colgate has to be informed and constantly innovate themselves with new technologies in order to keep up with customer knowledge and needs. Other countries are also unaware of the importance of oral health, therefore the company should target them in order to become the leader in oral care.
A social challenge is the market is growing with competitors and as research on oral care increases, so do the people’s expectations and needs. There is many family demographics, therefore the company should have products for people’s