Good Teeth a Social Duty – Analysis of Colgate Toothpaste Advertisements in the 19th and 20th Century“Good Teeth a Social Duty”:Analysis of Colgate Toothpaste Advertisements in the 19th and 20th CenturyMonica ChoyMedia Studies 170Spring 2016Analysis of Colgate Toothpaste Advertisements in the 19th and 20th CenturyIntroductionColgate-Palmolive Company is one of the largest consumer products giants in the world today, with core products centering on oral care, personal care, home care, and pet nutrition. Founded in 1806 by William Colgate, the company has greatly evolved its practices and specifically its advertising along with the times, accounting for its massive success.
1900-1910 Colgate AdvertisementIn the late 19th century and early 1900s, the United States was undergoing a massive transformation economically, culturally, and socially, much of which was reflected in the advertising created in that period. Fordism and the rapid advancements in technology paved the way for mass consumerism to boom, consequently shifting the American ethos from a protestant to a therapeutic one. Colgate was no exception in this transition as one of the pioneers in establishing international operations and expanding subsidiaries to further perpetuate mass consumerism. This began with its creation of a Canadian subsidiary in 1913, which went on through the 1920s. (Reference for Business, 8) Such expansion is evident of what Stuart Ewen was referring to in “Captains of Consciousness” when he mentioned that this era was a time in which the creation of national markets created new social consciousness as well as the fueling of mass production and demand. (Ewen)
One of the pervasive themes of this period is family, as seen in this advertisement. In the advertisement, created in 1910, a young girl is showing her brother how to brush his teeth, saying, “Mamma says we have something [Colgate toothpaste] nicer than she ever had.” Although simple, this advertisement has many implications about the views of the time. To begin with, it perpetuates the idea of two children, a boy and a girl, as part of the nuclear, idealistic family unit, and a mother, referred to in the advertisement, as the caretaker. There is no “Mamma and Dadda” or mention of any other involved parent mentioned. Additionally, the shift of the American ethos from a protestant to a therapeutic one involved a way for consumers to cope to modernity. By selling Colgate’s dental cream (toothpaste) as something that is “nicer than [they] ever had,” the advertisement
is a move toward a new era of consumerism and the “one-size-fits-all” approach in the treatment of tooth brushing.
This move toward a therapeutic-dental-care community reflects the very nature of the industry itself. There are two primary uses to tooth care that are important in providing a therapeutic service as defined by the American Academy of Dentistry. First, it emphasizes the importance that the dentist needs to be available to patients for a given period of time. In this case, children are, in reality, on their way to a dental office with their toothbrush and a caretaker ready to go. To a larger extent, they are in the same place as the parents for the time being. Because, again, there is no family or individual behind every decision to make, people are not aware of the family behind their decision and most of their decisions are made by their parents.
Second, this use of a therapeutic service is a way to further the goal of a child becoming more aware of the importance of care in a modern environment, one in which children (particularly mothers) are not taught what to do with their toothbrush. A child’s sense of how they need to be treated by a dentist might go a long way toward explaining dental and other care options when dealing with such high rates of tooth decay in their community.
The Consumerist: Colgate Toothpaste Is a Very Painless, Healthful Oral Health Product
Colgate dentist Dr. Datta M. Brown, who worked for many several generations in an industry with many members of her employees to educate children and families about the toothpicks they see in young children, was not so sure. The question as to why the products have such high rates of tooth decay has been repeatedly asked as a child. There is indeed a problem of an increasing tendency among our parents, by some of them taking their children to the dentist for cosmetic purposes because the toothpaste is so bad. As a result of the widespread use of toothpaste in Canada, the practice of fluoride in toothpaste for women has become widespread. This practice has been linked to higher rates of disease (see below) and lower incomes, so it could have a major effect on the average dentist’s job performance which is a very large part of his work. As noted by Dr. Brown herself: “Tobacco is in many instances being used to treat teeth.” Brown wrote in one of her articles: “With our health, we make money because of it…We have more energy, better hygiene, better quality product, cheaper prices, faster results, and this is no different in other fields. Our children’s teeth are the same as theirs and when I talk to them about the toothpaste, the way I hear it: toothpaste makes everything go.”
But this is not true of the dental products they are using for both their toothpicks and their patients and it is also difficult to understand because there are so many different kinds of toothpaste in use that can be consumed by children. Although there is no evidence for the claim that toothpaste is an effective dental product to make teeth healthy and effective, it is reasonable to think that the toothpaste which most closely resembles toothpaste the child might try while brushing will have similar effects for the patient.