Listerine Marketing Strategy & Marketing Mix (4Ps)

Published in Products category by MBA Skool Team

Marketing Strategy of Listerine analyzes the brand with the marketing mix framework which covers the 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion). These business strategies, based on Listerine marketing mix, help the brand succeed in the market. Let us start the Listerine Marketing Strategy & Mix to understand its product, pricing, advertising & distribution strategies:

Listerine Product Strategy:

The product strategy and mix in Listerine marketing strategy can be explained as follows:

Listerine is one of the most prominent oral care brands in the world. When it comes to oral hygiene, the first thing that comes up in our minds is Listerine. That’s how effective and popular the brand is. With it being a major player in the oral care & mouth-wash market. The brand has several product types as a a part of its marketing mix product portfolio.

However, it faces competition from emerging players like Colgate Plax, Sensodyne, ACT, Crest and Biotene. Listerine is sold in around 90 countries. With Johnson & Johnson as its parent company, Listerine has a strong brand associated with it.


Image: Wikimedia


Listerine Price/Pricing Strategy:

Below is the pricing strategy in Listerine marketing strategy:

Listerine uses competitive pricing strategy to combat competition from Plax. Being an FMCG product, there are competitors entering into this market, like HUL’s Pepsodent mouthwash.

So, it has to maintain the market share so as to stay in control of the market ecosystem. Listerine is affordable and pretty close to what its competitors are selling at. Hence, we can see that Listerine offers a competitive pricing to ensure it has a strong market share.

Read more about Listerine

Listerine Place & Distribution Strategy:

Following is the distribution strategy in the Listerine marketing mix:

Listerine placed itself not only as a mouthwash with multiple benefits but also as a personality trait as it removes bad breath from mouth, thereby maintaining oral hygiene and making style statement. Starting as a product medical treatment, it was repositioned as a cosmetic product for daily use, which was later displayed in its ad campaigns. Although Johnson & Johnson products are available in the smallest retail outlets, Listerine is found where the retailers have at least some inventories of pharma products or have some experience in selling pharma products. The distributors and retailers are well educated about the product as to increase sales.

Also, dentists are an important part of the distribution channel of Listerine.


Listerine Promotion & Advertising Strategy:

The promotional and advertising strategy in the Listerine marketing strategy is as follows:

Listerine product is advertised and promoted using various media channels. In its marketing communication, it highlighted multiple perks like tooth decay, strengthening of gums, bad breath and how oral health has a significant impact on the overall health of an individual. This made people think that Listerine was a healthcare product for oral treatment when needed. But later, the advertisements conveyed the message that it should be used on a daily basis so as to have a good effect on the oral hygiene. This was probably due to bad breath being a common problem faced by people and they needed a one stop solution for it. Hence, it was portrayed as a retail product afterwards. Hence this completes the marketing mix of Listerine.


About Listerine:

Listerine is an antiseptic mouthwash product by Johnson & Johnson.

It was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in late 2006.Its ingredients include menthol(mint) 0.042%, methyl salicylate(wintergreen) 0.06%, thymol(thyme) 0.064% and eucalyptol (eucalyptus) 0.092%. Considered as a product for oral health, Listerine has 90% market share in the mouthwash segment and is dominant across the globe as well.

This article has been researched & authored by the Content & Research Team. It has been reviewed & published by the MBA Skool Team. The content on MBA Skool has been created for educational & academic purpose only.

Browse marketing strategy and 4Ps analysis of more brands similar to Listerine. The Marketing Strategy & Mix section covers 4Ps and 7Ps of more than 800 brands in 2 categories.

Continue Reading:


The names and other brand information used in the Marketing Strategy & Mix section are properties of their respective companies. The companies are not associated with MBA Skool in any way.

Share this Page on:
Facebook ShareTweetShare on Linkedin