Marketing Strategy of Colgate 2025 – Global Oral Care Leader

Before diving into this article, I’d like to inform you that the research and initial analysis for this piece were conducted by Keval Soni, a current student in IIDE’s PG Digital Marketing course (2025 Batch).

If you found this helpful, feel free to reach out to Keval Soni to send a quick note of appreciation for her fantastic research – he’ll appreciate the kudos!

About Colgate

Founded by William Colgate in 1806 as a small candle and soap business, Colgate has surely come a long way. Headquartered in New York City, Colgate has subsidiaries all over the world and a vibrant, global consumer base.

Colgate is known all over the world for high-quality oral hygiene, so much so that it has dominated the world market when it comes to toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental hygiene.

Over the past few decades, Colgate has achieved this standard by implementing fantastic marketing strategies and even getting dentists on board to endorse its products.

Marketing Objective or Business Challenge

In 2025, Colgate India faced a complex market environment with several challenges impacting its performance.

The FMCG slowdown, coupled with weak urban demand, led to declining toothpaste sales. 

Consumers became more price-conscious, reducing their purchases or opting for lower-cost alternatives, which required Colgate to rethink its marketing and distribution strategies.

Colgate's market dominance in Tier 2 and 3 cities was also under pressure from local competitors like Dabur Red and Patanjali, which leveraged natural and herbal positioning.

To combat this, Colgate focused on repositioning itself by introducing natural/herbal variants and strengthening its rural distribution channels.

Marketing Channels Used by Colgate India

Digital Marketing

SEO & Content: Colgate leveraged oral health blogs, dentist Q&A, and campaign microsites to educate parents and drive organic traffic.

Influencer Marketing: Collaborated with micro-parenting creators and dentists to produce relatable brushing reels and educational content for Instagram and YouTube Shorts.

E-commerce Marketing: Promoted products through targeted ads, seasonal bundles, and personalised recommendations on Flipkart, Amazon, and BigBasket, boosting conversions.

Traditional Marketing

TV Advertising: Remains a backbone for mass reach, running family-oriented ads across Hindi and regional languages to reinforce trust and credibility.

Print & Outdoor: Newspaper spreads, metro branding, and hoardings in Tier 1 and urban areas ensured consistent offline visibility.

On-ground Programs: Initiatives like Bright Smiles, Bright Futures in schools and rural dental camps engaged communities directly, building long-term brand trust.

Proof / Impact:

E-commerce campaigns drove 12–15% uplift in premium variant sales.

TV and print campaigns reached ~70% of urban & semi-urban households, strengthening recall.

On-ground programs reached millions of school children, reinforcing Colgate’s role in oral health education.

Marketing Strategy Breakdown of Colgate India 

1. Digital-First Storytelling

Campaign: Smile Karo Aur Shuru Ho Jaao

Colgate continued its flagship campaign, emphasising the power of a smile to inspire positivity and action. “Smile karo aur shuru ho jao” reached 300 million+ urban consumers, boosting brand recall to 69% and lifting “oral-care expertise” perception to 83%, reinforcing consumer trust.

Execution: Featured real-life stories of individuals overcoming challenges, such as Divyanshu Ganatra, India's first visually impaired solo paragliding pilot.

Platforms: Launched across YouTube, Instagram, and Colgate microsites.

Community Engagement: Introduced the Keep India Smiling Scholarship, supporting youth with mentorship and financial aid. 

2. Influencer Marketing

Campaign: Smile Out Loud & Parenting Reels

Colgate collaborated with micro-parenting influencers and dentists to educate and emotionally connect with Indian parents.

Execution: Influencers shared tips on kids' brushing and sensitive teeth, using authentic home settings.

Platforms: Reels on Instagram and YouTube Shorts.

Community Engagement: Followers contributed user-generated content, boosting organic reach.

3. Retail & E-commerce Push

Colgate focused on premiumization and omnichannel availability to reach both urban and semi-urban consumers.

Ecom ads: including high-impact Amazon and Flipkart ads, highlight Colgate’s excellence in creative, omnichannel marketing. Advertising & promotions spend climbed to ₹822 cr in FY 25, up 8.2% YoY, cementing leadership.

Offers: Introduced limited-time bundles and personalised recommendations to increase conversion rates.

Offline Presence: Maintained a dominant shelf presence in pharmacies, supermarkets, and kirana stores, supported by POS branding.

4. Traditional Marketing

While digital campaigns drove engagement, TV and regional media remained critical for mass reach and reinforcing Colgate’s trust narrative.

TV Ads: Family-oriented commercials emphasised the “trust of doctors,” portraying relatable morning routines and family bonding.

Regionalisation: Ads were dubbed and adapted in Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, and other regional languages to resonate culturally with diverse audiences.

Print & Outdoor: Newspaper spreads, metro branding, and outdoor hoardings complemented TV campaigns, ensuring consistent visibility across multiple touchpoints.

5. Messaging & Brand Voice

Colgate maintained a consistent voice, empathetic, simple, and trustworthy, across all channels.

Key Themes: Health, family love, daily routines, and premium oral protection.

Language & Style: Used everyday Hindi and regional dialects in TV, print, and digital ads to create relatability and trust.

Results & Impact

• Colgate retained its No. 1 oral-care position in India, holding steady market share despite rising herbal/ayurvedic competition.
• Advertising & promotions spend rose 8.2% YoY to ₹822 crore, powering both digital and offline visibility and premium product growth.
• The “Smile Karo Aur Shuru Ho Jaao” campaign reached 300 million+ urban consumers, lifting brand recall to 69% and “oral-care expertise” perception to 83%.
• The Keep India Smiling Scholarship deepened goodwill by providing mentorship and financial aid to youth.
• Influencer campaigns like “Smile Out Loud” drove high Instagram and YouTube engagement, generating user-generated content and stronger awareness among young parents.
• Retail & e-commerce pushes with Amazon/Flipkart ads, bundles, and personalised recommendations improved conversion rates and average order value while driving premiumization.
• Traditional media, family-oriented TV ads, and regional-language adaptations ensured mass reach and cultural relevance across urban and semi-urban markets.
• Consistent, empathetic brand voice in Hindi and regional dialects reinforced trust, creating a seamless cross-channel experience and boosting repeat purchase intent.

What Worked & Why

Colgate's marketing strategy was successful because it deeply understood the needs of families, offering simple, reliable oral health solutions. By addressing common parental concerns, Colgate's campaigns resonated emotionally with their target audience.

Specific Insight/Innovation that Stood Out:

The combination of TV ads for broad reach, digital platforms to target younger urban parents, and in-store promotions to encourage purchases created a balanced, effective media mix. Additionally, Colgate’s premiumization strategy, offering specialised products like Sensitive, Herbal, and Whitening, helped the brand stand out in a competitive market, driving revenue despite declining category volumes.

Furthermore, the "Bright Smiles, Bright Futures" school programs played a key role in building trust and loyalty among families, further solidifying Colgate as a reliable, community-focused brand.

What Didn’t Work & Why

Urban Slowdown and Affordability Perception:

• Premium products are facing a significant sales decline in urban markets.
• Consumers perceive these high-priced items as unaffordable due to economic shifts and increased price sensitivity, leading them to seek cheaper alternatives.
• This indicates a mismatch between the brand's premium positioning and current consumer purchasing power.

Herbal Positioning Gap and Intense Competition:

• The brand's herbal offerings, like Colgate Vedshakti, struggle against local competitors such as Dabur.
• Dabur has a stronger, more authentic association with Ayurveda, creating a "herbal positioning gap."
• This makes it difficult for Vedshakti to establish a distinct identity in the highly competitive herbal segment.

Limited Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Outreach:

• The brand is missing a key opportunity by not targeting Non-Resident Indians.
• NRIs often maintain a strong connection to Indian brands, but current marketing focuses solely on the domestic market.
• Expanding outreach to this loyal consumer base abroad could unlock a valuable revenue stream and strengthen the brand's global presence.

IIDE Student Recommendations: Key Areas for Improvement

Deeper Vernacular Campaigns: 

• To significantly grow in Tier 2/3 cities, we will expand influencer partnerships in Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali-speaking regions, utilising local influencers to engage consumers.
• Concurrently, we will launch targeted regional YouTube campaigns in the U.S. and the Middle East to connect with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) who trust Colgate India products.

Broaden Keyword Coverage: 

• Move beyond traditional oral health terms to include "parenting hacks" and "healthy lifestyle routines."
• This will help capture a wider audience actively searching for relevant content, increasing search traffic and brand visibility.

Gamified Kids Engagement:

• Develop interactive AR filters or brushing timer games specifically for children.
• These can be integrated into popular platforms like Instagram Reels or YouTube Kids to make oral hygiene fun and engaging for a younger audience.

Affordable Premium Packs: 

• Introduce smaller, more affordable premium toothpaste packs in the ₹30–₹40 range.
• This makes high-quality oral care accessible to a broader mass market, boosting sales and penetration.

Stronger Herbal Play:

• Double down on the Vedshakti line by securing endorsements from credible Ayurveda-backed influencers, such as Ayurvedic doctors and yoga instructors.
• This reinforces the natural and health-conscious appeal of the product.

Sustainability Push: 

• Implement eco-friendly packaging initiatives and launch toothbrush recycling campaigns.
• These efforts are designed to appeal to environmentally conscious Gen Z parents and align with their values.