Colgate
In 1806 William Colgate began a small starch, soap and candle business in New York City. Many years later in1873 Colgate introduced toothpaste in a jars and finally in collapsible tubes in 1896. Colgate won top honors for its remarkable soaps and perfumes at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1900 and a global brand was born. This success has continued for over 200 years and the brand has become an American standard. As Ian Cook (Chairman, President, and CEO) says “For more than 200 years, Colgate people and Colgate values have been at the heart of our success. We are proud of the powerful strategies and sharp focus which drive our success today. Thanks to all Colgate people, our consumers and business partners for their contributions in helping us to become strong, focused and truly global company we are today.” (Colgate)
After 100 years of business (in 1906), to celebrate their success, Colgate distributed two million tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes to schools around the US and provided hygienists to demonstrate how to properly brush teeth. By the 1920s, Colgate began establishing business in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Near the end of the 1920s, Colgate merged with Palmolive and was first listed on the NY stock exchange in 1930.
Colgate-Palmolive is now a highly valued, award winning company, “today, with sales surpassing $15 billion, Colgate focuses on four core businesses: Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate now sells its products in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.” (Colgate) In 1996, Colgate’s program “Bright Smiles, Bright Futures” spread to 50 countries and now reaches over 50 million children each year. Colgate-Palmolive has also received many domestic and international awards including; “100 Best Companies to Work For,” “Best Companies for Minorities,” Top 50 Employers” and “Global Most Admired Companies” from Fortune Magazine and Equal Opportunity Publications.
Colgate prides itself on being a diverse, caring, always improving company. “Our three fundamental values — Caring, Global Teamwork and Continuous Improvement — are part of everything we do.” (Colgate) Colgate cares about their customers, shareholders and business partners, all alike. Colgate believes that “by better understanding consumers' and customers' expectations and continuously working to innovate and improve products, services and processes, Colgate will ‘become the best." (Colgate) This mantra has helped them to continue to grow their business both domestically and internationally.
Colgate as an oral hygiene brand has many competitors, though their biggest competition is Crest. These two oral hygiene companies have been in competition since the 1940s, when Crest was introduced. Colgate believes that by their being in business for over 100 years their “reputation has been built upon the quality and safety of our products. Our commitment to quality and safety is essential to the continued growth and success of our Company.”(Colgate)
