This interview was conducted via email.
What is important in launching an oral health brand from a design and marketing perspective today?
It is vital to understand the latest cultural trends. Health and well-being as topics are trending more than ever and consumers actively research and lookout for the best products for their health. Brands need to communicate effectively with this type of active and savvy consumers, they have higher expectations and demand more.
What’s hot in oral care design and marketing right now?
The oral care sector is becoming less commoditized. Traditionally, this sector was dominated by brands that looked medical but without the ongoing R&D, you would expect in the field. Oral care brands are now taking a leaf out of the contemporary beauty sector and the investment in packaging design and format has been a game-changer. You no longer want to hide your oral care products; you want to display them with pride with the rest of your beauty products.
How has oral care design and marketing changed?
There are a lot of new brands coming into the oral care sector, but you still face competition from the traditional brands, they are still hugely dominant. All the newcomers are trying to present themselves as the antithesis of the old staid brands. New brands are bold and exciting, they present realness versus the highly staged and manicured ways of the old brands, and they are introducing product innovation, something that was completely lacking in the sector. The new innovative brands are taking cues from beauty brands, lifestyle brands and even fashion brands in making oral care hot and desirable.
How does current oral care design and marketing reflect current consumer interest?
The cosmetics element of oral care has been the fastest-growing segment year on year, so brands are reacting to the purchase trends by creating new products that blur the lines between oral care and cosmetics. This, in turn, is creating a new wave of design of products that belong on the beauty counter rather than on a pharmacy shelf. On top of that, consumers are becoming wary of specific ingredients and want to know if products are vegan, gluten-free, tested on animals, sustainably produced, contain a specific amount of fluoride or peroxide for whitening, etc.
These consumer concerns create the need for specific messaging and clear labeling and it affects the way the products are marketed but most interestingly it’s creating an interesting tone of voice challenge for the brands. Brands need to portray scientific backing and integrity whilst balancing out a more approachable tone to connect with modern consumers.
What is important for beauty professionals to know about design and marketing in oral care right now?
There are interesting parallels between a beauty regime and an oral regime, it’s something you do daily for your well-being whether it’s a 3-step skincare routine or a brush and floss routine. Traditionally, the skincare routine was the conversation starter between friends or the topic for many influencers online, you are now experiencing new dawn for oral care routines where you will happily boast about your flossing habits, from fancy flavors and whitening flosses to traveling with your water flosser. Your oral care is no longer an afterthought.
