I found out about this in the most surprising way. I was reading the book The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg and I was introduced to Claude Hopkins. He is considered the most influential man in dentistry. Ironically, he was a marketer, not a dentist. He was considered one of the most influential marketing experts of his time as well.
How was he the most influential person in the history of dentistry? His marketing campaign helped to create the habit of daily toothbrushing.
In the early 1900's, tooth decay was rampant in America. It was so bad that it had become an issue of national security. There were so many WWI recruits with oral infections that they were hampered in pain and could not perform on the battlefield.
Claude Hopkins was approached by an old friend about a new dentifrice (toothpaste) called Pepsodent. At the time, tooth powders were peddled door to door by traveling salesmen. Hopkins quickly declined the offer to promote this toothpaste. It was a losing battle as less than 7% of the population in the United States had an actual toothbrush in their medicine cabinets.
It was not part of our daily routine at the time. Why would people use toothpaste, if they didn't even use a toothbrush?
The Pepsodent people, quite confident in their product, were persistent with Hopkins and eventually he agreed to take on the marketing campaign.
As Hopkins dove into the (boring) dental scientific literature of the time, he stumbled upon a description of the "mucinous plaque" that forms on teeth. This film, he found out was the root of all dental troubles. This is where the bacteria was that caused the tooth decay and gum disease.
Ironically, it was easily removed through normal toothbrushing without the use of any toothpaste. He ignored this fact and exploited the horrible "film" that destroyed teeth and ruined smiles.
His marketing campaign was brilliant. He created a cue, "Rub your tongue across your teeth and you will feel this film." He then went on to say that this film must be removed each day.
He also appealed to the self esteem of the population - He implied that having a nice smile is a crucial part in being beautiful and attractive.
By creating a daily cue (rub tongue across teeth), encouraging repetition (the film must be removed daily) and establishing a reward (beautiful smile) - he helped create a national habit of daily oral hygiene using toothbrushes and pepsodent.
Through this marketing campaign, the people in the US that had toothbrushes and actually used them soared to 65% within 10 years.
If he was still alive, I wonder how he could create an ad campaign for flossing everyday too.
The dental profession hasn't figured out how to appeal to the emotions around flossing. We all know the logic behind it, but to create this habit, we need to appeal to the emotional side of the communities that we serve.
On a side note, I just have to say:
Another side note that I learned at TEDMED last spring:
Hmmmm.....
If you like this blog post, I would love to hear about it. Please comment or share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
How was he the most influential person in the history of dentistry? His marketing campaign helped to create the habit of daily toothbrushing.
In the early 1900's, tooth decay was rampant in America. It was so bad that it had become an issue of national security. There were so many WWI recruits with oral infections that they were hampered in pain and could not perform on the battlefield.
Claude Hopkins was approached by an old friend about a new dentifrice (toothpaste) called Pepsodent. At the time, tooth powders were peddled door to door by traveling salesmen. Hopkins quickly declined the offer to promote this toothpaste. It was a losing battle as less than 7% of the population in the United States had an actual toothbrush in their medicine cabinets.
It was not part of our daily routine at the time. Why would people use toothpaste, if they didn't even use a toothbrush?
The Pepsodent people, quite confident in their product, were persistent with Hopkins and eventually he agreed to take on the marketing campaign.
As Hopkins dove into the (boring) dental scientific literature of the time, he stumbled upon a description of the "mucinous plaque" that forms on teeth. This film, he found out was the root of all dental troubles. This is where the bacteria was that caused the tooth decay and gum disease.
Ironically, it was easily removed through normal toothbrushing without the use of any toothpaste. He ignored this fact and exploited the horrible "film" that destroyed teeth and ruined smiles.
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| Figure 1 - Pepsodent ad from 1929 describing the call to action |
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| Actual Pepsodent Advertisements |
His marketing campaign was brilliant. He created a cue, "Rub your tongue across your teeth and you will feel this film." He then went on to say that this film must be removed each day.
He also appealed to the self esteem of the population - He implied that having a nice smile is a crucial part in being beautiful and attractive.
By creating a daily cue (rub tongue across teeth), encouraging repetition (the film must be removed daily) and establishing a reward (beautiful smile) - he helped create a national habit of daily oral hygiene using toothbrushes and pepsodent.
Through this marketing campaign, the people in the US that had toothbrushes and actually used them soared to 65% within 10 years.
If he was still alive, I wonder how he could create an ad campaign for flossing everyday too.
The dental profession hasn't figured out how to appeal to the emotions around flossing. We all know the logic behind it, but to create this habit, we need to appeal to the emotional side of the communities that we serve.
On a side note, I just have to say:
clean teeth do not decay.....
Another side note that I learned at TEDMED last spring:
More people in the world have smart phones than have toothbrushes......
Hmmmm.....
If you like this blog post, I would love to hear about it. Please comment or share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
Thanks for reading!
