When Colgate-Palmolive launched its then revolutionary Colgate Gum Protection toothpaste in 1990, company executives were confident they had a hit on their hands. The toothpaste incorporated a groundbreaking antibacterial technology they thought was the biggest innovation since fluoride. But in the months after the toothpaste’s six-country rollout, the product’s market share reached a meager 1%—one-fifth of the company’s projections.
A version of this article appeared in the October 2002 issue of Harvard Business Review.