Colgate and Close Up are two leading oral care brands that have been engaged in brand wars for market share. While Colgate has historically dominated the overall market by satisfying basic needs for clean and strong teeth, Close Up targeted the youth segment by appealing to social needs for fresh breath. Close Up's focus on this emerging segment grew its market share significantly. In response, Colgate launched customized products like herbal and gel variants to cater to more needs. Though the two brands take different approaches, their goal remains capturing customers and improving market share as the battle in the oral care market continues.

1. Brand Wars
LAKSHMI NARASIMHAN S
HOD-MBA
MVJ COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING BANGALORE
09-02.2015

2. Colgate Vs Close Up
• Colgate and Close Up
are two leading brands
in the oral care FMCG
markets
• The ups and downs
witnessed through their
brand wars is the
discussion we propose
to have today

3. Theoretical Background
• Need satisfaction of consumers forms the
basis for successful marketing
• The product offered by a company should act
as a solution to customers problems
• At the next level we can classify the customers
ever changing needs on the lines suggested by
the Maslow’s need hierarchy model

4. Oral care Market & Need Hierarchy
model
• Having clean teeth can
be considered as
physiological need and
having strong teeth can
be considered as safety
needs
• It is very important to
understand this in the
wake of brand wars
between Colgate &
Close up

5. Colgate’s Overall market leadership vs.
Close up’s Segmental War
• Colgate
• Colgate as the first entrant
into the oral care market
captured and enjoys a
larger overall market share
• Until late 1990’s the mass
market for toothpastes was
dominated by Colgate
which catered to the
physiological and safety
needs of the consumers
• Close Up
• Close up took up a brand
war by opening a new
segment- the youth –by
taking the needs of
consumer to the next level
claiming “ we need fresh
breath energy” to be
accepted in social
platforms.

6. The War
• Close Up
• The market buzzed and a lot
of people in the youth
segment switched to Close
Up
• This growing segment till
this date continues to be
dominated by Close Up
• Colgate
• Colgate responded to the
challenge by coming out
with Colgate Gel
• It has also come out variety
of customized offerings like
Colgate Herbal, Colgate Gel,
Colgate Active Salt etc

7. Same Purpose ,Different Focus
• While the war for capturing customers and
improving market shares continue between
Colgate & Close up there is need to understand
their respective approaches.
• While Colgate aims to preserve its broad based
advantage by offering problem solving solutions
(strong teeth, salt for gums, caring for sensitive
teeth etc) close up as the icon for the youth
addresses the growing segments in the market by
increasing the levels of customer needs.
• Take a look at the following pics……

8. Different Roads, Same Destiny

9. THE BATTLE CONTINUES……

10. THE BATTLE CONTINUES……