Smiles all round as toothpaste brand takes top position

Sharing success

DKSH creates value for suppliers and business partners by exploiting new category opportunities and fitting their brand to the respective market.

Challenge

In Malaysia, DKSH successfully set out to position a premium US brand in the teeth whitening category. The brand itself delivered excellent results. The challenge, as presented by the brand supplier who handled the business, was to create and enhance consumer awareness for this new segment of toothpaste, and to offset the larger competitor’s ability to outspend the new brand.

Approach

After securing large pharmacy chain agreements to grow and build the new category, the DKSH marketing team developed an effective campaign, which drove brand and category awareness through targeted advertising. The DKSH sales team also focused store distribution to suit the target profile of the brand’s consumer and conducted dentist detailing to gain professional recommendation. Strategic shelf positioning was also optimized to achieve strong visibility of the brand to the consumer when in store.

Result

In 2007, the brand won the top health and beauty award from a major chain pharmacy group in Malaysia for the toothpaste category, beating other major international brands. Four years after the brand’s launch it is still delivering double- digit annual growth as the DKSH team works to continue to drive and improve brand and category awareness amongst the target consumer group. The brand itself now holds the number one position in the teeth whitening category in chain pharmacies, independent pharmacies, and hyper-supermarkets.

Market Expansion Services at work: brand-building experts

Fulfilling the needs of the consumer by recognizing a strong trend in an established category, DKSH managed to link and adapt a successful brand from the USA to major consumer health distribution channels in Asia.