COLGATE BAKING SODA TARTAR CONTROL TOOTHPASTE LAUNCH

COLGATE BAKING SODA TARTAR CONTROL TOOTHPASTE LAUNCH being backed with $ 10 mil. in advertising spending during 1994, Colgate-Palmolive said. The ad budget will be devoted to television and print ads expected to break in February. Young & Rubicam, New York is developing the campaign. Colgate Baking Soda Tartar Control, which will be available in "natural mint" paste and gel formulas, is slated to begin shipping at the end of November. Other promotional activities will include five national free- standing insert drops during 1994 as well as an in-store demonstration program in February. Over 6 mil. patient samples will be distributed to dental professionals as part of a "comprehensive" detailing program, the firm added. Tartar Control Baking Soda will be offered in 4.4 ounce and 6.3 ounce tubes, 4.7 ounce and 6 ounce stand-up tubes and a .9 ounce trial size. Pricing is "comparable" with that of Colgate Baking Soda toothpaste, Colgate said. The introduction expands Colgate-Palmolive's presence in the baking soda dentifrice category, following the introduction of Colgate Baking Soda Toothpaste in early 1992. With the upcoming launch, Colgate moves into a niche with Procter & Gamble's Tartar Control Crest with Baking Soda, which is offered in a mint paste and a mint gel, and Church & Dwight's Dental Care tartar control toothpaste and baking soda gel. Separately, Colgate is expanding its Ultrabrite toothpaste line-up with Ultrabrite Baking Soda, which began shipping in October. Pricing, Colgate said, will be in line with existing Ultrabrite toothpaste. The 21 year-old brand was last expanded with Ultrabrite Gel in 1989. Shipping in November, Colgate Plus Grip and Colgate Precision Easy Grip toothbrushes will join Colgate's existing toothbrushes under the same brand names. Colgate Plus Grip promotions will include a January FSI, while Colgate Precision Easy Grip will be featured in an in-store demonstration program in February. The Grip products have rubber handles to provide "excellent comfort and control" and have a "flexible, non-slip grip," the firm asserted. The items are available in Full Head Soft and Full Head Medium for the Colgate Plus item and Full Head Soft and Compact Head Soft for the Colgate Precision product. Both items are "parity priced" to existing Colgate Plus and Colgate Precision products, the company said.