Teeth whitening, from dentist’s chair to bathroom
The brief
A world-leading oral-care technology company wanted to understand teeth whitening in China: consumers’ unmet needs, the types of consumer, the trends, and where people and dentists get their information. The goal was a consumer targeting tool covering rechargeable toothbrushes and related products, to guide innovation and marketing across the company’s core oral-care markets.
Why it was hard
The segmentation had to fit a global framework and still hold true in China, where whitening is shaped as much by what dentists sell as by what people buy in shops. The client’s team was not Chinese and had never been inside a Chinese dental surgery, so it needed to see the market as well as read about it.
How we did it
We ran four phases. An online community with consumers and in-depth phone interviews with experienced dentists tested and defined the segments, producing seven consumer types: Trailblazers, Protectors, Easy-lifers, Aspirers, Carers, Conformists and Traditionalists. Our healthcare networks found dentists willing to talk candidly about the whitening treatments they offer and what patients ask for.
We then took the client’s observers into six dental surgeries in Shanghai, with our interpreters beside them, to see first hand what dentists offer, what patients want and where current solutions fall short. Finally, in-home interviews with people from each segment showed their daily routines and the products in their bathroom cabinets, revealing differences between the segments that no survey would capture.
What the client got
Target segments for at-home whitening, what makes a brand and product credible, which channels people use to research whitening, and the factors most linked to switching from a manual to a rechargeable toothbrush.
What it shows
We can take a global framework, make it work in China, and give an overseas team a first-hand feel for a market it has never seen.
Services: online research · in-depth interviews · ethnography and home visits
