Jan Erik Buaroey - Assignment #2: Will it be adopted?

Bacon flavored toothpicks

 

 

Have you ever received the terrible message from your dentist saying that you have to stop hiding small pieces of bacon between your teeth just to keep the taste a little bit longer? Or is your dentist preaching about oral hygiene  while you lie down in the dentist's chair, as it was a religion? Bacon flavored toothpicks might be something for you!

 

Or maybe not?

 

Relative advantage

The question is whether the bacon flavored toothpicks will provide an advantage to the consumers, compared to regular toothpicks. First of all, the design looks pretty much the same as the toothpicks most of us have used several times in the past. The practical use of this product will therefore not give you any relative advantage to the regular toothpick.

 

The only two things that seem to seperate these toothpicks from the regular ones are the smell and the taste. The main purpose of the toothpick does not get affected by an improved(?) smell or taste. If the bacon taste of this toothpick is really good, which I for some reason highly doubt, it could give a relative advantage to a person that really loves bacon. The disadvantage though, is that the smell could be offensive to someone who does not like the smell of bacon, and also certain religious groups.

 

Complexity

How to use a toothpick is not a complex thing, and I believe most of us have used a toothpick before. Since this invention has the same design and main purpose as a current product, the complexity is equal to that of a regular toothpick.

Trialability
Due to the low complexity, trying it will not be hard. But the bacon flavored toothpicks will probably not be sold on every corner, and it is still only available on the Internet as far as I know. There might be some exceptions, of course. The toothpicks will probably not be a very visible product in stores.

 

Observability

This is probably not a product people walk around showing off to everybody. First of all it looks like a regular toothpick, so you would not really know that a person uses it (unless you can smell it). This means that you will probably never get anyone asking you what you are picking your teeth with. Secondly you will probably carry the case in your pocket, purse or backpack. The observability will of course improve if this is a product you would want to show off.

 

Compatibility

This product is definitely more compatible in some areas of the world than others taking religious aspects into consideration. I highly doubt that the bacon flavored toothpick will even be considered in conservative islamic nations and societies, but it might be very compatible with western steakhouses, and some other bars and restaurants. Maybe it will be a hit on your next barbeque party?

 

Adaptability

Some would probably argue that a toothpick is a toothpick, and more of a specialist tool. To a certain extent I can agree with that. But in some areas toothpicks can be a fashionable thing, as a part of an earring or a necklace. Toothpicks have also been known to be a tool to pierce yourself at home (probably not a good idea) or build models (a better idea). Someone actually built a replica of some of the tallest and most famous buildings and structures in the world using toothpicks (see picture here). There are probably many other possible uses for toothpicks as well. In that sense toothpicks are more of a generalist tool.

 

The things mentioned above could also have been done with bacon flavored toothpicks, although it would probably be a bad idea to build a bacon smelling replica of a building or a structure if you have a cat or a dog in your house. I will argue that regular toothpicks are better suited for other uses than what it originally was designed for, than what bacon flavored toothpicks are.

 

So, what other uses are there for a bacon flavored toothpick, besides the most obvious one (to actually use it as a toothpick)? The first thing that comes to my mind are people that want to quit smoking. A flavored toothpick to put in their mouth might work for some people to get rid of the habit.

 

Conclusion - Will the bacon flavored toothpicks be adopted?

If you really like bacon, these toothpicks might seem like a bargain at $4.95 for a case of 80 toothpicks, but my guess is that this product is more of a joke than a serious attempt to invent the next big thing in oral hygiene.

 

Even though the complexity of a bacon flavored toothpick is low (but not lower than a regular toothpick), it does not seem to have enough relative advantage compared to regular toothpicks and the observability also seems to be low. The product is definitely compatible some places, but I can't see the big market for bacon flavored toothpicks out there. When it comes to adaptibility, the only thing I can think of is that it might also be used by some people that want to quit smoking, but I don't see that as a big and promising market either.

 

Based on my analyzis I don't think this product will be adopted in a large scale, and whatever adoption that will take place will probably be slow.

 

If I were to propose one thing to improve the product, it would be to expand in terms of flavors. There are really not much more to do to this kind of product (maybe except starting to make regular toothpicks instead?). I highly doubt that the bacon flavor is very accurate, and a broader taste span might bring in some potential new customers and increase adoption. Maybe a sweeter taste is more suitable when you pick your teeth after dinner?

 

The bacon flavored toothpicks can be bought through Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-11723-Bacon-Flavored-Toothpicks/dp/B000VF5UYU