The CRAVING BRAIN: Story behind the success of Pepsodent

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As America had become wealthier, people had started consuming large amounts of Sugary drinks, and processed food which resulted in the steep decline of American’s teeth health. The situation was so critical that during world war 1 recruitment, recruits teethes were rotten and the officials said “Poor dental hygiene was a national security risk”. Despite all this, hardly anyone used to buy toothpaste, and gum elixirs, as a result, the salesman of various toothpaste brands were broke. It was a risky business to be in. 

“Claude Hopkins” was a great advertising pioneer who seduced millions of women to purchase “Palmolive Soap” by claiming “Cleopatra” had washed with it, despite the protest of outraged historians. One day an old friend of C. Hopkins insisted on him to advertise his newly discovered product which he called ‘Pepsodent’. It was a ‘minty’, and ‘frothy’ concoction which his friend believed was going to be huge. Hopkins showed very mild interest after analyzing the result of toothpaste sales already available in the market. In his biography, Hopkin said, “I didn’t see a way to educate the laity in technical toothpaste theories”. But his friend persisted, and came back again and again, tried to persuade Hopkins for this task until finally, the ad-man gave in.

Hopkins was in the soap and cereal business but didn’t know how he will sell toothpaste. He needed a clear justification for the Americans why they should use toothpaste daily. For this, he sat down and read a pile of dental textbooks to gain some context, until, in the mid of one book, he read about ‘mucin plague on teeth’ which he later called ‘the film’. He found his answer. Now he had a cue which can a habit loop.

What is a Habit loop?

The habit loop is a 3-step process.

CUE - A cue is a trigger that tells your brain which habits to use.

ROUTINE – A routine is an action that is triggered by the cue.

REWARD – A reward is a pleasure you get after completing the routine your cue had set. 

Let’s understand this with an example. Suppose someone asked you to wait in an empty room. You sat on a chair and start feeling boredom after a couple of seconds. If you are a regular smartphone user, your brain will crave attention. The next thing you will do is to unlock your mobile device and start exploring the internet. Everyone has their own routine. Some of us will open social media sites like Instagram, Facebook start scrolling on memes, and others will open ‘YouTube’ start watching shows. The pleasure you get on the funny meme and watching shows is your reward.

Now Hopkin had his cue, 'use toothpaste and remove mucin plaque on your teeth', after all the secret of a lovely smile depends upon the beauty of teeth. But the problem was, other toothpaste firms offered the same reward of beautiful white teeth, and their businesses were declining.

Hopkin launched his campaign, sales of Pepsodent exploded. There were so many orders for Pepsodent that the company had failed to cop-up with the demand. In the next three years, the company went international, Hopkins was crafting ads for Chinese, German, and Spanish. Within a decade, Pepsodent became the top-selling goods in the world and remained best selling toothpaste for more than 30 years. So, the question arises:

What did Hopkin change in his advertisement which made Pepsodent so popular?

The answer was ‘The Habit Loop’. It is in our human phycology that we need a sense of satisfaction, a reward which will tell us it is working. It convinces us that the product is doing its job. Unlike other kinds of toothpaste in the market, Pepsodent contained Citric acid, as well as a dose of mint, and other secret chemicals which gave Pepsodent taste fresh. It used to create a cool and tingling sensation in the mouth and if it wasn’t there, the mouth didn’t feel clean. People were craving a tingling sensation. In short, Hopkin was not selling beautiful white teeth, he was selling a sensation. Once people feel the cool tingling effect after using Pepsodent, they equated this with cleanliness. A few decades later, almost every toothpaste firm started using oils and chemicals that caused gums to tingle.  

Research shows that mouth cleaning has nothing to do with a tingling sensation. Toothpaste will work as well as without taste fresh. Likewise, shampoo doesn’t have to foam but we add foaming chemicals because people believe it washes their hair. The same thing applies to detergents. Sunscreen helps to protect skin from cancer. Despite this, fewer than 10 percent of Americans use sunscreen because it has no sensational effects. But it doesn’t mean it’s not working. 

Now you know the power of ‘The Habit Loop’, you can use this to change your lifestyle. For instance, to lose weight, you need to exercise daily, and eat healthily. Keep your shoes near to your bed when you sleep so that will act as a cue for the next morning which will trigger a routine of running, exercise, yoga, and meditation whichever makes you feel relax and active. Reward yourself with Smoothie or any other way and allow yourself to anticipate the reward. Slowly, the craving will make its way easier to push you towards the end-goal.

Reference: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change