Colgate Success Story – The 200 Years Old Toothpaste Brand

Colgate is one such brand that has been used by almost every household. It is one of our favourite kinds of toothpaste and we can’t deny that fact. But did you know that this company is more than 200 years old? Yes! The company first manufactured its paste in 1873 under the name Colgate and Company. Their kinds of toothpaste were first sold in jars and only in 1896, did they start selling it in a tube. Even after so many years, Colgate is still one of the highest-selling kinds of toothpaste brands. So let us get into this article to read the success story of this company that became a household name and everyone’s first choice.

Colgate – Key Highlights

• Company Name – Colgate
• Founding Year - 1806
• Founder – William Colgate
• Headquarters – New York, United States of America
• Parent Organization – Colgate – Palmolive
• Sector – FMCG (Fast–Moving Consumer Goods)
• Website – colgate.com

Colgate – Founder

Colgate company got founded by William Colgate. He initially started his business in the 19th century by selling soaps and candles in New York City.

He was born in England and 25th January 1783. William has always been very passionate about his work and business. This great industrialist died on March 25, 1857.

Colgate – Brand Name, Logo, and Tagline

• Brand Name – The company's brand name was kept after the name of its founder that is ‘William Colgate’.
• Logo – The company’s logo is very simple and beautiful. It is red and it has a smiling face below the brand name. The red of the logo makes it attractive and eye-catchy for the customers.
• Tagline – The company first started with a tagline – It cleans your breath while it cleans your teeth. After that Colgate came up with various new taglines. Some of them are – Fights germs for 12 hours, What a refreshing idea, Cleans more than just teeth, Smile with strength, So clean, you can feel it.

Colgate – Business Model

Colgate is one of the top FMCG (Fast–Moving Consumer Goods) companies in the world.

It follows both B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) models.

Colgate – Products

Colgate has a variety of products under its brand name. Some of them are as follows:

• Oral Care – Toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, mouth rinses, tooth whitener, and drug store products for dentists and health professionals.
• Fabric Care and Household Surface – Dishwashing fluid, home cleansers, Palmolive.
• Pet Nutrition – Products like supplements, pet nutrition food, etc. are available under this head.
• Personal Care – Shower gel, shampoos, shaving products, body sprays, conditioners, bar hand soaps, fluid soaps, etc.

Colgate – Growth

Colgate is one of the top FMCG companies and it has seen tremendous growth in the past few decades.

• The company holds the largest percentage of oral hygiene category globally (as per 2020 reports).
• Colgate sells its products in more than 200 countries globally.
• It is also one of the top players in the household products sector.
• The company generated a sale worth $17 billion worldwide. In the fourth quarter of 2020, it reported a net increase in sales by 7.5% ( as per Statista reports, 2021).
• In the FY 2020 – 2021, the company reported sales of INR 4,810.5 Cr. It was 7.2% more as compared to FY 2019 – 2020.
• It has launched various new products such as Colgate Vedshakti Spray, Colgate toothpaste for Diabetes patients, Oil pulling, etc. to target more customers.
• It has also launched fun products for kids such as the first AR toothbrush.
• Colgate has been the most trusted Oral care brand from 2011 to 2019 ( as per the reports by the Economic Times).

Colgate – Acquisitions

Colgate has acquired many companies in the past few years. Some of its acquisitions and other details related to it are mentioned below:

• Mennem Company – Feb 14, 1992
• GABA International – Dec 18, 2003
• Tom’s of Maine – Mar 22, 2006
• Sanex – Mar 23, 2011
• Laser Brands Toothpaste – Oct 29, 2014
• EltaMD – Dec 18, 2017
• PCA Skin – Dec 18, 2017
• Filorga Cosmetiques – July 11, 2019
• Hello Products – Jan 23, 2020

Colgate – Funding and Investors

Colgate has risen a total of $15.2 M in funding in 2 rounds. All the details regarding the funding and investors are mentioned below:

• Undisclosed Amount - Post – IPO Equity, Sep 21, 2016
• $15.2 M – Post – IPO Equity, Vontobel, Mar 16, 2021

Its other investors are Cottrill, Taylor, Erickson & Associates.

Colgate – Marketing & Advertising

Colgate has always been on the top of its game when it comes to marketing and advertising. The company spent around $2 Billion on advertising worldwide.

By building trust amongst the customers, and by installing marketing techniques, Colgate has already established itself in the FMCG category. They keep adding new products and constantly improve their products according to the demands and needs of their customers.

Colgate – Competitors

Colgate is undoubtedly one of the leading players in the market and it has a considerably very good market share. The company still has to face many competitors in this sector. Some of its top competitors are as follows:

• Pepsodent
• Patanjali
• Close - up
• Hindustan Unilever Limited
• Crest
• Dabur
• Emami
• P & G
• Sensodyne
• Meswak
• Himalaya
• HUL

Colgate – Challenges

• Social Trends – Due to the influence of social media and social trends many people are gradually shifting towards the traditional ways of cleaning teeth, washing clothes, etc. It is one of the biggest challenges for the company to fight with the traditional method as with the drastically changing world, it is not that easy to change their perspectives.
• Competitors – Colgate is one of the top players in the market and no matter what, every company has to face competitors. Colgate’s industry also has various competitors and some of them have a good customer base as well. Apart from this, a lot of organic brands are also coming up with their products and a good percentage of the customer is shifting there.

Colgate – Future Plans

The company has many exciting plans for the coming future. Some of those plans are as follows:

• The company is planning to sell their products in all the countries by the end of FY 2025.
• They are also planning to launch more products that are nature friendly.
• Colgate will come up with more cool products for kids. As it is one of the most important segments of the customers.
• The company will focus on increasing its net sales to 10%.
• Colgate will also work on doing more aggressive advertising to cater to more consumers.