OraBrush

Orabrush represents a notable case study in leveraging new media to disrupt a traditional consumer goods market. The company was established around a product invented by Dr. Robert "Bob" Wagstaff, a biochemist and nutritionist. The idea for a specialized tongue cleaner arose from his experience as a Mormon mission president in the Philippines, where he identified bad breath as a concern among missionaries. Possessing a Ph.D. in biochemistry and nutrition, Dr. Wagstaff understood that a significant portion of bad breath originates from bacteria on the tongue. He developed the Orabrush, which features soft, pointed bristles and a built-in scraper, after finding existing market solutions inadequate.

For nearly a decade, Dr. Wagstaff's attempts to commercialize the product through conventional channels, including a $40,000 TV infomercial and approaches to major retailers like Walmart, were unsuccessful. The turning point occurred in 2009 when Dr. Wagstaff presented his product to a marketing class at Brigham Young University. A student named Jeffrey Harmon, along with his brother Neal, saw the product's potential for online marketing. They disagreed with the class consensus that the product was unmarketable online and partnered with Wagstaff, forming Orabrush, Inc. The Harmon brothers, who grew up on Idaho farms, brought a fresh, untraditional perspective to marketing.

The company's business model centered on a "reverse marketing" strategy, using YouTube to create consumer demand that would then pull the product into retail stores. With an initial budget of just $500, they produced a quirky, educational video titled "Bad Breath Test – How to Tell When Your Breath Stinks," which went viral. This video and subsequent episodes, which often featured a character named Morgan the Dirty Tongue, built a massive online following. This strategy was highly effective, turning their YouTube channel into a primary sales driver and one of the top subscribed brand channels, rivaling major companies like Apple and Old Spice. This online success created significant consumer pull, leading retailers in 15 countries, including Walmart and CVS, to stock the product.

The core business involved selling oral care products directly to consumers online and through a global network of retailers. The product line expanded from the original Orabrush Tongue Cleaner to include an enzyme-infused Tongue Foam and the Orapup, a breath brush for dogs. The company's success attracted investors like True Ventures and 2x Consumer Product Growth Partners and led to the appointment of former Procter & Gamble executive Jeff Davis as CEO to manage its growth. In March 2015, DenTek, a major player in oral care products, acquired Orabrush. As part of the deal, DenTek partnered with Molio, a video marketing technology company founded by former Orabrush executives, to continue the brand's successful digital marketing strategy.

Keywords: Orabrush, tongue cleaner, reverse marketing, YouTube marketing, Dr. Robert Wagstaff, Jeffrey Harmon, Neal Harmon, viral video, consumer products, oral hygiene, e-commerce brand, social media campaign, Orapup, DenTek acquisition, brand building, online to offline, direct-to-consumer, content marketing, bad breath solution, Harmon Brothers