Now with Extra Whitening!

Recently, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized that maybe all the tea, fruits, juices, and other teeth-staining food and drink that I so frequently come in contact with have perhaps taken my chompers a shade or two away from pristine pearly white. Upon this realization, I immediately embarked upon a toothpaste-seeking excursion. Instead of checking the label of my tube-in-use so that I could gauge the whitening power of what my teeth had become accustomed to, I made the proclamation that I needed something new, something different, something that had some "real whitening power" - whatever that means. Perhaps this somewhat rash decision-making process was a side effect of being an American consumer of my age group - a millennial, as we are often called. I noticed a problem and immediately decided that going out and purchasing a different brand, a different type of toothpaste was the solution to that problem. Instead of making use of my current product or even doing a little online research before heading out to the store, I felt compelled to simply go out, shop, and buy. Looking back, I can't help but think that other segments of the market - perhaps older consumers would have taken a different approach. I wanted a change and I wanted it right at that moment - immediate results, immediate improvements. No patience. Whiter teeth, now. Us millennials require instant gratification, after all.



The next thing I knew, I found myself in front of the amazingly full collection that is the Wal-Mart toothpaste selection. It took me about 3 or 4 minutes before I could find my bearings and realize the full breadth of this bountiful harvest of fluoride-induced happiness. I had to tell myself, "Casey, you are here to find whitening power! Focus!"
So I snapped back into concentrated consumer mode. I began examining the different brands and corresponding sparkly boxes. Crest, Colgate, Arm & Hammer, Aquafresh, Pro Health, Fluoride, Anti-cavity, enamel protection. It occurred to me that I may be in this isle for a while.

In a category that would seemingly be commoditized by now, I saw a lot of variety - at least that's how it appeared at first. Most products that I picked up and examined made claims of cavity protection, fluoride content, tartar control, and in a recent trend - many now claim to maintain and/or build upon your enamel. Additionally, almost every single toothpaste - no matter the brand - made some sort of mention of whitening capabilities. Such whitening capabilities were not organized in standardized verbiage within this category - quite the contrary, in fact. I observed so many different ways of stating that "this toothpaste can make your teeth whiter" that I began to assemble a mental ranking of the whitening claims seemed to represent the highest potency.

For the sake of levity, here is a list of the different claims of whitening power that collectively managed to force the expulsion of my mental energy, right there in the toothpaste isle.

***Gentle Whitening

***Whitening

***Multicare Whitening

***Whitening Booster - 2X more whitening agent

***Pro Health Whitening - for visibly whiter teeth

***Polishes for extra whiteness

***Advance White

***Visible White

***Clinically proven to whiten teeth

***Whitening oxygen bubbles

***w/ Extra Whitening

***Max White with Mini Bright Strips



Simply put, I had some thinking to do. Which claims are believable? Is there any real difference in what each brand, each product claims? If one Crest product claims "Extra Whitening" and another Crest toothpaste claims to be "clinically proven to whiten", am I to assume that the one with "Extra Whitening" was not clinically proven? Is Crest holding back the whitening power in some products and consciously going all-out with others? Are the costs of whitening ingredients so high that Crest needs to offer 5-10 different levels of whitening potency? Do any of these whitening claims actually refer to the same amount of whitening power? Is the extra fancy verbiage just a means to "woo" consumers into thinking that they are paying for the best? If there are indeed varying levels of whitening power amongst the various product lines for each brand, who in their right mind would buy the lowest level of whitening - given that all levels of whitening power are all pretty much in the same price range? Is someone out there actually fearful of making their teeth too white? My guess is that most consumers would opt for the highest, strongest whitening power - so long as their teeth would not become too sensitive as a result (but most of these products protect your teeth from over-sensitivity - I think). What about the few toothpastes that do not offer any kind of whitening power? Is there a large customer segment out there that are so used to the candy-like flavor of their standard royal blue toothpaste that they give a collective, "Whitening? No thanks you!" when faced with the choice? The only logical answer I can offer to this question is that maybe customers who avoid whitening do so because they dislike the taste of whitening products or are a bit old fashioned and averse to change. Given the amazing amount of product benefit overlap and confusing verbiage, how is a consumer supposed to make such a tough decision? I will attempt to shed some light on this situation by telling you how I made mine.

After picking up and examining a number of products, reading the claims, and unconsciously forming opinions and ordinal lists for this selection of toothpastes, I began to become a little discouraged. It dawned on me that maybe all of these Crests, Colgates, Aquafresh's were all the same thing - just branded differently. How likely is it that Crest has whitening knowledge and technology that the other brands don't have? I didn't (and still don't) think it's too likely that they hold that type of distinct competitive advantage. Given this minor bout of discomfort, my eyes next focused on the branded offering that seemed like the unique choice - the orange-yellow box - Arm & Hammer. Seeing the nostalgic logo brought a sense of calm to my nerves. Baking soda has been around forever - never changed. It is so versatile and reliable. Their toothpaste would never let me down, would it?



I felt content and relaxed until I came across Arm & Hammer's Peroxicare toothpaste - "with Baking Soda and Peroxide". I had to do a double take. Why is Arm & Hammer making it a point to say that they include baking soda in this product? Don't all Arm & Hammer toothpastes having baking soda in them? Come on, man! What am I supposed to conclude from this?! I suddenly felt alienated from the Arm & Hammer name. Maybe the brand is trying to use the strength of its name without necessarily standing by the whole baking soda tradition, as a minimally required ingredient. Despite this unsettling thought, I targeted Arm & Hammer's Advance White as my best option at this point. This too, was an uneasy choice. Did I want Arm & Hammer Complete Care with Extra Whitening? Or would Arm & Hammer Advance White with Brilliant Sparkle be better? Which one would whiten better? Do I get the "brilliant sparkle" either way? These questions were too difficult for a man of my level of intellect to handle. I moved on.



I found an intriguing product nearby. Arm & Hammer's Whitening Booster was not a toothpaste in itself, but it was a clear agent that you are instructed to add to your usual dab of toothpaste before every brush. It claimed to have twice the whitening agent of your average white strip. I thought to myself, "Whitening Booster, you may be going home with me." This product not only sounded rational and reliable (given the brand), but the purchase of it did not discount the value of any toothpaste already at my home - sunk costs.



I thought that perhaps I was ready for checkout when I stood up and began to walk out of the isle. The glimpse of a top-shelf item caught my eye - Crest 3D White - Advance Vivid Fluoride Anticavity Toothpaste. This seemingly magical little product stood vertically, unlike all of the neanderthal horizontal toothpastes. This little guy seemed sophisticated. A sleek, dark blue box with mystically imprinted white sparkles. I stopped dead in my tracks and took hold of the product for a closer look. I investigated the box to discover something about this product that necessitated an approximate dollar paid per ounce ratio. It stated on the front of the box that it can remove up to 90% of surface stains within 14 days - Plus it protects against future stains. It also made claims of a "patented enamel safe whitening ingredient".

For all I knew, this was all a lot of fluff. I mean, 90% of surface stains? 90% of surface stains for what kind of teeth? Are we talking about a man sporting a nice maple-brown shade in his grill? 90% of stains removed may sound like great results, but the teeth themselves may still be far from what most people would consider white. And the claim to protect against future stains? Isn't that a claim that all toothpastes could make? Isn't the mere act of brushing your teeth in the first place sort of a proactive action against future stains? And what about this 3D talk? Really? I have yet to see a two dimensional bottle of toothpaste in my life, and this one seemed to have just as many dimensions as all the rest. Maybe the people at Crest just ran out of creative names for a premium product? Who knows? I was ready to replace the item on the shelf and be on my merry way - until I spotted an attractive word on the side of this blue box. "Guaranteed". My interest was sparked, so I read the blurb and realized that Crest will refund the purchase price to me if I am unsatisfied with it after use. Would I ever really go through the trouble of asking for a refund on a $4 tube of Crest? Not bloody likely, but the mere fact that they made the guarantee provided me with enough justification to convince myself to spring for the this revolutionary 3D toothpaste.

It was settled. Arm & Hammer's Whitening Booster and my enchanting little Crest 3D White. I couldn't help but think that I had just based my decision process on some very stupid and unfounded logic, but as an American consumer, I got a small rush out of shopping - even if it was just toothpaste. As lame as it sounds, the capability to go out and buy solutions (or at least perceived solutions) to life's little problems was a very empowering feeling. In Rapaille's book, The Culture Code, he states that the American code for shopping is "reconnecting with life". I'm not so sure whether this recent purchase necessarily made me feel more connected with my own life, but I will agree that the experience gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. Sure, I likely wasted about $8 on gimmicky oral hygiene products, but the mere fact that I was free to make my own choices in that isle was enough to justify the purchase and the waste of 20 minutes that went along with it. 'Reconnecting with life' may be a little too emotional of a way to put it, but the experience did remind me how wonderfully free we as consumers are in this country. We can each register a daily vote for our favorite products and services by simply purchasing them. We can each stand by brands for as long or be as brand-fickle as we wish. We as consumers have a lot of power, whether we know it or not - unfortunately a small portion of that power comes from the ability to tell a gimmick from a substantial claim. If anyone has mastered this nuance for the category of toothpaste, give me a call.