Colgate’s Gunjit Jain on transforming the brand into an oral care health tech powerhouse

A 100 per cent category penetration, 1.2 billion users and 9 out of 10 Indians brushing first thing in the morning  Colgate’s reach is unparalleled, declared Gunjit Jain, Executive Vice President Marketing, Colgate-Palmolive India, as he addressed the e4m India Brand Conclave in Mumbai on February 11.

“There is no other brand in this country that matches Colgate’s penetration.”

Gunjit Jain detailed how the 89-year-old oral care giant is shifting its identity from a toothpaste label to what he termed “India’s number one oral care health tech brand.”

Speaking to a packed audience at the conclave, Jain established context through Colgate’s scale and heritage. “We represent an organization that has been deeply rooted in the heart of this country for 89 years with a singular mission of enhancing India’s oral health and beauty,” he said.

“From the billionaires of Bombay to the traders of Bareilly… we are recommended by dentists, we are trusted by mothers,” Jain added.

However, beneath this scale sits a structural issue. Despite near-universal toothpaste access, oral health outcomes remain concerning. Jain highlighted that 80 per cent of urban Indians brush only once daily, 55 per cent of rural Indians brush occasionally, and nine out of 10 Indians face at least one oral care concern. Only one in 10 visited a dentist in the past year, mostly during episodes of acute pain.

“The business challenge for us as market leaders is how do you encourage people to shift from reactive repair to preventive care,” he said.

AI as a utility, not a gimmick

Colgate’s response has been an AI-powered diagnostic tool integrated directly onto its packaging.

Consumers scan a QR code, respond to a few prompts, upload three images of their mouth and receive a personalised dental screening report via email or WhatsApp. The report highlights risks across cavities, gums and stains, and links users to one of 55,000 partner dentists by pin code for a complimentary consultation.

Within three months of launch, 4.5 million Indians across almost 100 per cent of pin codes completed screenings. One in six proceeded to consult a dentist.

“The learning is straightforward. If you eliminate friction and deliver free utility, behaviours can shift,” Jain said. “Here consumers received a free dental screening report and a consultation with a dentist from the comfort of their homes.”

For marketers, though, the deeper narrative lies in data. At an estimated cost of about 30 cents per screening, Colgate created a first-party health data pool of 4.5 million Indians, unlocking what Jain described as “millions of dollars of lifetime value.”

From national heat maps to pin code precision

The screenings indicated that 73 per cent of Indians are vulnerable to at least one oral issue. Forty-four per cent face gum risks, 41 per cent cavity risks and 14 per cent stain risks. Importantly, this data is now mapped at state and pin code granularity.

“UP is a hotspot for stains. Odisha is a hotspot for cavities. Gujarat is a hotspot for gum problems,” Jain shared. In Mumbai’s Santa Cruz, stain risk is double the city average due to higher tobacco use, while in Powai, where over 80 per cent brush twice daily, risk levels are a quarter of the city average.

This level of detail, he said, fuels sharper innovation, communication and on-ground activation.

Rewiring the consumer journey

Colgate has further deployed this intelligence across digital commerce. Through partnerships with Amazon using data clean rooms, high-risk gum consumers see Colgate Perioguard messaging, while others are shown Colgate Total. The same strategy extends across search, display and performance channels, including Meta and Google. “It is these kinds of consumer journeys that have become deeply personalised,” Jain said, adding that the initiative has earned global recognition, including at Amazon’s US headquarters.

Beyond acquisition, the brand is developing what Jain called “the first-of-its-kind oral health tech CRM program.” Machine learning-driven cohorts are prompted to brush twice daily, replace toothbrushes more often and upgrade to condition-specific solutions. The aim is twofold: better oral health outcomes and category premiumisation.

“As habits strengthen, category value grows. As consumers adopt superior products, premiumisation follows. As they move from single products to a regimen, there is AOV to unlock,” he explained.

The product-services loop

Drawing comparisons with consumer technology brands, Jain described Colgate’s evolving “product services loop.” Consumers purchase the product, access complimentary diagnostic services, receive personalised nudges and eventually upgrade within the ecosystem — similar to smartphone users upgrading devices and services.

“Isn’t this comparable to consumer tech companies?” he asked. “A product services loop, not just for tech players, but now also for Colgate.”

Concluding his session, Jain reiterated the company’s broadened ambition: “I represent Colgate, India’s number one oral care brand. I represent Colgate, India’s now number one oral care health tech brand.”

For the marketing and advertising fraternity, the message was unmistakable: even the most penetrated legacy brands can unlock fresh growth by integrating utility, data and technology into a cohesive consumer experience.