Abstract
In 1950 Procter & Gamble launched the first fluoride toothpaste and they patented their technology to prevent competitors from launching fluoride toothpaste until 1967. As a result, Colgate had to give way to P&G in the therapeutic market and focused on the cosmetic market instead. Colgate concentrated on developing its business internationally and quickly established dominance in most global markets while P&G continued to dominate in the U.S. P&G bases all its strategies on the consumers and always asks their opinions and recommendations when the brand is going to launch a new product or new versions of the old products. Another strategy that seems to be working for P&G is to run weeks of focus groups and controlled market tests before launching products. They do this to get reliable feedback from consumers. With limited distribution and promotion, the information gathered influences the product development and the marketing decisions before a large launch. This technique is called "Soft Launch".
