Colgate-Palmolive Co The Precision Toothbrush.pdf

9-593-064 R E V : A P R I L 2 0 , 2 0 0 6 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Professor John Quelch and Research Associate Nathalie Laidler prepared this case. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Proprietary data has been disguised. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright ? 1993 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to . No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. J O H N Q U E L C H N A T H A L I E L A I D L E R Colgate-Palmolive Company: The Precision Toothbrush In August 1992, Colgate-Palmolive (CP) was poised to launch a new toothbrush in the United States, tentatively named Colgate Precision. CP’s Oral Care Division had been developing this technologically superior toothbrush for over three years but now faced a highly competitive market with substantial new product activity. Susan Steinberg, Precision product manager, had managed the entire new product development process and now had to recommend positioning, branding, and communication strategies to division general manager Nigel Burton. Company Background With 1991 sales of $6.06 billion and a gross profit of $2.76 billion, CP was a global leader in household and personal care products. Total worldwide research and development expenditures for 1991 were $114 million, and media advertising expenditures totaled $428 million. CP’s five-year plan for 1991 to 1995 emphasized new product launches an