Gleem is an American brand of

oral hygiene Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's mouth clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g. bad breath) by regular brushing of the teeth (dental hygiene) and cleaning between the teeth. It is important that oral hygiene be carried out ...

products, including

toothpastes Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it is an abrasive that aids in removing dental plaque and food from the teeth, a ...

and

electric toothbrush An electric toothbrush is a toothbrush that makes rapid automatic bristle motions, either back-and-forth oscillation or rotation-oscillation (where the brush head alternates clockwise and counterclockwise rotation), in order to clean teeth. Motio ...

es, owned by the

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...

. It was introduced as a toothpaste in the United States in 1952 and discontinued in 2014. Procter & Gamble later revived Gleem toothpaste as a flavor variant of

Crest toothpaste Crest is an American brand of toothpaste and other oral hygiene products made by American multinational Procter & Gamble (P&G) and sold worldwide. In many countries in Europe, such as Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Poland, ...

(Crest Fresh and White Fluoride, Peppermint Gleem toothpaste). In 2019, Procter & Gamble expanded the brand to include a line of electric toothbrushes.

Marketing

Gleem was positioned in 1952 as a competitor to top Colgate's then top Dental Cream, with advertising coordinated by Compton Advertising, Inc. The League Against Obnoxious TV Commercials included a Gleem toothpaste commercial in its list of the ''terrible 10'' in May 1963. In 1958 Gleem had become number two in top toothpastes, with Colgate still first in sales and Crest in third place. By 1969, Gleem was a declining brand name. In an effort to obtain additional sales, Procter & Gamble assigned the account to the firm of

Mary Wells Lawrence Mary Wells Lawrence (born Mary Georgene Berg on May 25, 1928) is an American retired advertising executive. She was the founding president of Wells, Rich, Greene, an advertising agency known for its creative work. Lawrence was the first female ...

, Wells, Rich, Greene. Advertisements in the 1950s stated that it contained GL-70, an "odor- and bacteria-fighting compound". When Gleem II with fluoride and "green sparkles" was introduced within several years, the brand achieved a 9% share of the toothpaste market. However, this portion declined to around 6% with the introduction of new competing brands. Gleem's main decline was promotion geared toward its take-over competitor, Crest. The difference between Gleem and Crest is Gleem was strictly a "toothpaste" and originally contained no fluoride. Fluoride was later introduced into Gleem after Crest was first sold in 1955, as a form of consumer competition. While Gleem remained a toothpaste, Crest advanced into flavored "pastes", "gels", and so on. Until its discontinuance, the Gleem toothpaste package stated "Contains No Sugar" in bold print. Crest has been known to carry increments of sugar as well as artificial flavoring and coloring, aimed at coaxing young children and preteen enticement to prompt oral hygiene. In 1963, Gleem carried a 17-percent share of the toothpaste market in third place, with an advertising budget at $7.1 million. Gleem continued to become less prevalent when the

American Dental Association The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 161,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of Chicago, the ADA is the world's ...

granted Crest approval for the ADA logo. In addition, Crest contains

stannous fluoride Tin(II) fluoride, commonly referred to commercially as stannous fluoride (from Latin ', 'tin'), is a chemical compound with the formula SnF2. It is a colourless solid used as an ingredient in toothpastes. Oral health benefits Stannous fluoride wa ...

which has been said to strengthen and protect tooth enamel, calcium and fight gingivitis and bacterial infection, but is often irritant, abrasive and stains, while

sodium fluoride Sodium fluoride (NaF) is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is used in trace amounts in the fluoridation of drinking water, in toothpaste, in metallurgy, and as a flux. It is a colorless or white solid that is readily soluble in water. ...

(contained in Gleem) is more gentle, does not stain, but requires more application (longer or more brushings) to further prevent bacterial infections and can have little effect with calcium. In 1975, Gleem was supported by $6 million in television advertising alone. In August 1976, Procter & Gamble transferred Gleem from Wells, Rich, Greene to the

Leo Burnett Company Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc., also known as Leo Burnett Company, Inc., is an American Advertising agency, advertising company, founded on August 5, 1935, in Chicago by Leo Burnett. In September 2002, the company was acquired by Publicis Groupe, ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

."P & G Moves Gleem To Burnett", ''The New York Times'', April 14, 1976, Page 50.

References

External links

* {{Procter & Gamble Brands of toothpaste Procter & Gamble brands Products introduced in 1952

Marketing

See also

References

External links