Released on = May 12, 2006, 7:31 am

Press Release Author = Shazaaam!

Industry = Healthcare

Press Release Summary = According to leading oral care marketing consultant, David
Biernbaum; while results continue to wane in prescription drugs, over-the-counter
remedies, and even in some health and beauty aids categories, the oral care consumer
business remains a proven source of solid profits.

Press Release Body = According to leading oral care marketing consultant, David
Biernbaum; while results continue to wane in prescription drugs, over-the-counter
remedies, and even in some health and beauty aids categories, the oral care consumer
business remains a proven source of solid profits.

That\'s the good news.

But, according to Biernbaum, the oral care category suffers from
underachievement and lack of insight into the unique individuality of consumer
behavior. Most personal care categories are driven by price, history, promotion and
advertising.

Oral care is atypical because premium-price consumers are abundant, and while
consumers are sometimes educated about a new item from advertising, it\'s important
to know that more often than not they are discreetly shopping the oral care aisle of
retail stores for novel solutions that will help to resolve oral health social
problems. Inconspicuous as it may be, the search for discovery is hopeful, and it\'s
a quest that often takes a consumer to more than one retail chain to find a novel
solution for an oral health social problem.

Unlike the typical impulse or commodity customer these high-paying, high-profit
consumers will pick up any number of boxes, bottles and packages--reading every
word--in search of a life-changing solution to such embarrassing oral health social
dilemmas as bad breath, yellowing teeth, unsightly cold sores and snoring. Consumers
shop the oral care aisles with great hopes and anticipation of spending their oral
health money. They are not complacent about oral care choices and solutions.

As a category it has a long way to go. Consumers are constantly shopping retail
stores for newer, better and improved solutions. When all retail stores carry the
same assortment it\'s disappointing to the best paying customers.

The real money in oral care space management is not found with current universal
product code (UPC) rankings and market share, because oral care is characterized by
constant upgrading of innovations and solutions. The sales history is less relevant
than in most categories.

In a sense, oral care products are similar to consumer electronics. Consumers have
an ongoing appetite for newer, better and now. The profits are seldom yesterday\'s
news.

It is, of course, fundamental to carry a nice mix of leading name brands of
toothpastes, tooth brushes, dental floss and mouthwashes. However, the difference
between making real money and just settling for marginal profits is outside the
usual comfort zone where personal care is concerned.

Oral care consumers appreciate and reward differentiation with loyalty and profits.
After all, without differentiating, the only point of difference is price.

Consumers will reward us with higher margins and profits for better whiteners that
work fast before weddings, two-minute timers, pricey tongue cleaners with sure grips
and comfort-edge technology, oxygen-powered breath mints that last all day,
microclean floss inside a bacteria-resistant toothbrush cover, breath strips that
are gentle tasting and allow for close encounters of the first kind, antisnore
devices that save marriages, and even battery-assisted denture cleaners for people
with arthritis that have food and wine stains they don\'t want to share.

The intense social aspects in oral care are often underestimated, and high-profit
solutions are often overlooked. Those who turn on the television or listen to talk
radio will likely hear a halitosis expert such as Dr. Harold Katz explaining bad
breath to listeners that call in with passionate fervor to discuss how this social
dilemma is the curse of their lives. They are desperate for a life-changing solution
and will gladly pay a premium price at the supermarket or drug store.

Such oral care segments as whitening, freshening and snoring are not meant to be hot
and cold trends. They address ongoing social problems that plague consumers. When
these segments are hot it means that consumers are flocking to retail stores to try
products that are presently on the shelves.

Time will tell if the current assortment of products will have staying power.

When these types of segments begin to decline in unit and dollar sales it means one
thing: Consumers are saying it\'s time to try something else. They still want to be
provided with the solutions, and they are more willing than ever to generate high
margins and oral-healthy profits.

David Biernbaum is a CPG marketing and sales consultant in St. Louis. For further
information visit www.biernbaum.com or email david@biernbaum.com


Web Site = http://biernbaum.com

Contact Details = Shazaaam! PO Box 250784, West Bloomfield, MI 48325
248-366-0388
david@biernbaum.com