In 2004, the Norwegian toothbrush producer Jordan was feeling the pressure from market giants Procter & Gamble (Oral B) and Palmolive-Colgate (Colgate), whose R&D expenditure is higher than Jordan’s total revenue. By using various ethnographic methods in order to understand what dental hygiene meant to their users, Jordan was able to create a new innovation platform and re-position its brand.

Jordan decided to focus on gaining knowledge about users in the Nordic countries by employing ethnographic methods among others. 100 users from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland participated in the studies. The users were given disposable cameras and asked to take photos of everyday routines related to hygiene and care. The users also had to write a diary where they described their morning and evening routines.

The study of the users’ unacknowledged needs revealed that women in particular divide their routines into hygiene and care. Hygiene is related to everyday quick routines which have a short-term effect, while care is related to preventive measures that have a long-term effect. The toothbrush industry focuses primarily on technical hygiene solutions which are expensive to develop and which require high R&D budgets. Hence, there was a potential for Jordan to move into the care category, creating a niche within the toothbrush sector, and moving away from the costly technology race.

A new innovation platform was developed and a new brand position concept “Love your Teeth” was created. At the same time, a range of physical products were developed – products that women could carry with them at all times and which could be exposed everywhere as a care product and not as a private hygiene product.

Two years after the new innovation platform was implemented, Jordan’s market share in toothbrushes increased from 61% to 70% in Norway, from 20% to 28% in Denmark, from 18% to 23% in Sweden and from 20% to 23% in Finland.

Source: Hoegenhaven Consulting 2008.

For more details on this case, contact FORA at FORA@newnatureofinnovation.org.