How Advertising Taught America to Brush Its Teeth

The campaign's creator was looking for a cue, not an argument - something people would notice for themselves every day. He found it in the film on their teeth: run your tongue over them and feel the coating. The ads urged people to notice it and declared it the cause of an unattractive smile.

The second half of the idea was a reward. Ingredients that caused a slight tingling and a cool feeling in the mouth were added to the toothpaste. They did not affect how clean the teeth were, but they created the feeling that brushing had worked - and made people want to repeat it.

The pattern was complete: a noticeable cue, a simple action and an immediate reward. Today, this is described as the basis of a lasting habit. Back then, it was discovered through trial and error.

The third tile is the most interesting. The feeling of freshness did not make teeth cleaner, but without it, the habit did not stick: when toothpastes without these additives were later released, customers complained that the product did not work.

First: usefulness alone does not create a habit. People already knew that brushing their teeth was beneficial, but knowledge did not make them repeat it - the cue and the instant feeling of a result did.

Second: the reward must be immediate. Your brain does not connect healthy teeth twenty years from now with what you do today, but it connects a cool feeling in your mouth right away.

The same trick is still used today. Foam in shampoo, the sound of a car door closing, the feeling of tightness after washing your face - all of these are added to create a feeling that the product worked, not to produce the result itself.

The historical part also needs some clarification. The habit was promoted not only through advertising: military examinations, which revealed the poor condition of recruits' teeth, and school programs also played a role. But the campaign was what turned it into a daily ritual at home.