Teen Spirit (deodorant)

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Teen Spirit
TeenSpiritStick.jpg
An earlier Teen Spirit Stick deodorant, with an "Orchard Blossom" scent
Product type Deodorant/antiperspirant
Owner Colgate-Palmolive
Country United States
Introduced1991;34 years ago (1991)
MarketsWorldwide
Previous owners The Mennen Company (1991–1992)

Teen Spirit was a deodorant, originally sold by Mennen, then Colgate-Palmolive (after Colgate-Palmolive acquired Mennen in 1992). [1]

Contents

Teen Spirit was first released by Mennen early in 1991. It was the first deodorant marketed specifically to teens. [2] Sales were boosted by the grunge band Nirvana's 1991 song "Smells Like Teen Spirit", [3] named after a piece of graffiti by singer Kathleen Hanna in reference to the deodorant brand. [4]

By April 1993, Teen Spirit was a "successful niche brand" with a 1.5% share of the US deodorant and antiperspirant market. In August 1993, the company introduced a Teen Spirit hair-care line with a $6 million advertising campaign targeting teenagers. [5] [6] However, as of 1995, the brand's chief demographic was younger than the company had intended, appealing mainly to 9–15 year old girls. Contemporary polls showed that older teens were put off by brands with the word "teen" in the name, preferring to be marketed to as "young" or "young adults". [7]

The Teen Spirit name began to lose its share of the market, so the company reduced the range, just keeping the deodorants. In 2014, Teen Spirit Stick was offered in two fragrances: Pink Crush and Sweet Strawberry, which were available in either the 1.4 or 2.3 ounce (40 or 69 gram) sizes. [8] By 2025 the Teen Spirit franchise was simply the "Teen-Spirit Stick".

Scents

Discontinued scents

References

  1. ↑ "Our Company: History". colgate.com. March 2009. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  2. ↑ "Innovation still key for Mennen". Chain Drug Review. 17 June 1991. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  3. ↑ Cross, Charles R. (2014). Here We Are Now: The Lasting Impact of Kurt Cobain. New York, NY: It! Books. p. 66. ISBN   978-0-06-230821-4. OCLC   863695579. When ["Smells Like Teen Spirit"] became a hit, sales of Teen Spirit deodorant skyrocketed.
  4. ↑ Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 212. ISBN   0-385-47199-8.
  5. ↑ "Colgate Aims to Capture Teens". Cosmetics International . April 25, 1993. Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  6. ↑ Riddle, Judith S. (May 31, 1993). "Teen Spirit Hair Line Gets $6 million". Brandweek . Vol. 34, no. 22. New York, NY: Adweek L.P. p. 3. ISSN   0892-8274.
  7. ↑ Zollo, Peter (1995). Wise Up to Teens: Insights into Marketing and Advertisement to Teenagers. Ithaca, New York: New Strategist Publications, Inc. p. 44. ISBN   0-9628092-9-2. OCLC   33499794.
  8. ↑ "Teen Spirit". Medshop Express. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  9. ↑ "Teen Spirit Customer Reviews, Scent Name: Sweet Strawberry". Amazon.com. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
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