1987: Forhan's Freshmint Toothpaste - Ad Analysis
AI Editor notes
Straight from the gut!!
“This is a textbook 'legacy brand tries to be cool' play. The sterile white set and random bowling pins are a bit weird, but that jingle is an absolute earworm. It’s a classic 80s attempt to bottle 'youthful energy' for a CPG product. It feels cheesy now, but for 1987, it was probably a solid attempt to fight off Colgate by shifting the conversation from 'healthy' to 'fresh.' You can feel the brand trying to escape its 'medicinal' baggage.”
Quick Summary
In a strategic pivot from its legacy as a serious, medicinal gum-care brand, Forhan's launched Freshmint to capture the youth market by equating the product with a modern, energetic 'freshness feeling.' The entire strategy relied on a relentlessly catchy jingle and aspirational 80s pop-culture visuals to embed this new brand attribute into the consumer's mind.
Executive Summary
This 1987 spot for Forhan's Freshmint is a fascinating artifact of brand repositioning. Forhan's, a brand built on a therapeutic platform of 'gum care created by a dentist,' was facing a market where competitors like Colgate were winning the youth segment with promises of freshness and social confidence. This ad represents a direct strategic counter-attack, attempting to graft a modern, cosmetic benefit onto its traditional, medicinal rootstock.
The core insight driving the work is that for a young audience, the primary function of toothpaste isn't just health—it's a tool for social success. Fresh breath equals confidence. The ad doesn't waste a second on problem-solution; it jumps straight to the aspirational payoff. The execution uses the classic AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) model, powered by a jingle. It grabs Attention with the quirky sound and visual of bowling pins, a non-sequitur designed to cut through the clutter. Interest is built through the vibrant, music-video aesthetic and the direct lyrical statement: 'New Freshmint from Forhan's... it's got mint... it's got freshness.' Desire is manufactured by linking the product to an aspirational state: 'the Freshmint feeling,' visually embodied by confident, attractive young people. The ad cleverly tries to create a bridge for existing brand loyalists by tacking on the line 'and the famous Forhan's care,' a nod to its heritage that attempts to mitigate brand dissonance. The final Action is an implied purchase, prompted by a clear packshot.
The key takeaway from this ad is the power of the jingle in an era of mass media. The 'Freshmint feeling' is repeated enough times to become an earworm, effectively drilling the new product name and its primary benefit into public consciousness. While the execution feels dated and the emotion manufactured by today's standards, it was a strategically sound and creatively appropriate tool for its time and objective: to announce a new product and give an old brand a fresh coat of paint.
Theme Keywords
Brand Position
The only toothpaste that offers the modern confidence of minty fresh breath, backed by the trusted gum care heritage of Forhan's.
Brand Archetype
The Explorer
Creative Game Plan
We will announce Forhan's new Freshmint variant by creating an unforgettable jingle that makes the product synonymous with a feeling of youthful, confident energy.
Diagnosis: Issues & Solutions
Primary Issue: Strategic Sense
The Problem:
The ad runs the risk of brand dissonance. By leaning so heavily into a generic 'fresh and cool' aesthetic, it almost completely abandons the core 'dentist-created gum care' equity that made Forhan's unique. The single line 'famous Forhan's care' feels like a footnote, potentially alienating loyalists without being convincing enough to fully capture a new generation.
The Solution:
Integrate the 'care' message more seamlessly into the main narrative. For instance, the jingle could have included a line like 'Freshness you can feel, with the care that's real,' creating a stronger, more ownable proposition rather than just chasing the category norm of 'freshness.'
Secondary Issue: Emotional Connection
The Problem:
The emotion portrayed is a generic, surface-level 'pep.' The ad shows happy people in a sterile environment, but it doesn't tell a story or connect to a relatable human moment. This makes the feeling aspirational but not particularly authentic or memorable on a personal level.
The Solution:
Ground the 'Freshmint feeling' in a recognizable context. Show the confidence it provides in a slice-of-life scenario—before a first date, during a presentation, or just laughing with friends in a real-world setting—to give the emotion more substance and relatability.
Additional Notes
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