• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, October 16, 2007

Here's something for those of you who read Marketing Daily before getting ready for work (and we know some of you do!), a new survey finds that 54% of Americans would re-use their toothbrush after it fell on the bathroom floor and--steady now--9% of men admitted to re-using their toothbrush after it fell into the toilet!

Philips, which makes Sonicare, the No. 1 power toothbrush brand, commissioned the survey via GfK Roper--and is trotting out fully functioning sinks in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas and Philadelphia, where brushers are demonstrating the proper use and benefits of the new Philips Sonicare FlexCare toothbrush.

"The idea behind the campaign was to take the more personal topic of oral hygiene and force it into the public space," says company spokesperson Shannon Jenest. "What we know about Philips Sonicare consumers is that they're extremely loyal to the brand, and almost fanatical about the product, but oral hygiene isn't necessarily something that comes up in everyday conversation. The pop-up brushers are meant to foster this dialogue and get people talking about their oral care habits."

FlexCare comes with an integrated UV Sanitizer charger base that kills up to 99% of certain bacteria on the brush head, the company said in a press release on Monday.

Jenest says the new product is officially pre-launch mode as the company concentrates on reaching dental professionals first. Beginning in the first quarter of 08, she says, the product will be rolled out beyond the retailers now carrying it such as Target, Amazon.com and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

"We're planning a print campaign and TV for the fourth quarter next year," says Jenest, "when holiday gifting begins in earnest." Besides a Web site, sonicare.com, Philips plans no online support for the product.

The company's target consumer is the oral care enthusiast--"people who own a power toothbrush and who regularly visit the dentist," she says. To this point, we understand the valuable role the dental professional plays in educating consumers on products that can improve their oral health. We view dental professionals as partners in reaching the consumer, so this is where we focus our marketing efforts in the early stages of the product life span."