Toothpaste Fairy
( From a blog post I had written 5:years back)
In the past we used to either grin and bear it or gnash our teeth in frustration. But these days we keep our mouth shut. India’s largest airline is remarkably punctual and we are spared of any nail biting suspense as to whether we will reach our destination in time. All criticism is silenced. It seems that the prime mover these days is not aviation fuel but something called “girl power”.
Well, it also appears now, that the said airline, in addition to reaching us to our destination on time, is also helping its passengers to put their best tooth forward. Yesterday, in a flight that I took, after the sale of snacks and beverages was over, a slim tube of toothpaste was quietly placed in front of all passengers by the svelte cabin crew. These days, when the only thing gratis is water in paper cups, this is something to chew over. One could be excused if he thinks that this is yet another example of inane things indulged in by airlines, for example asking passengers to save their work before shutting down their laptops or for that matter letting all know about the hometowns of cabin crew and the pilot. But to the keen minds it would appear that there is more to it than meets the eye and a closer look could lead to answers to the question as to why cabin attendants have become purveyors of oral hygiene products?
Is this part of a brilliant marketing campaign crafted by some whiz kid MBA in an FMCG company with an objective to bite a greater chunk of the toothpaste market share? It could be, but why is the airline a partner in this? Is it just about an additional revenue stream for the airline or are there some deep and strategic synergies at play? Does the airline believe that the way to a passenger’s heart is through his mouth? Come to think of it, this could be a kind of a loyalty program without really having a regular loyalty program. Or does the airline have empirical research results to show a positive correlation between healthy teeth and ticket sales? It could also be hypothesized that by providing the toothpaste the airline is working on a long term strategy to prepare its passengers to tackle the leathery paratha served at cabin temperature.
Further rumination on this unusual gift to flyers resulted in the following plausible explanation. Providing the toothpaste was the last business transformation that had to be undertaken. Modern airlines have turned conventional wisdom on its head and come out with unique and innovative business models. Most of us would remember that airlines of yore were wont to providing candies to passengers, apparently to help them cope with popping ears during landing and take-off. These candies have done untold damage to the dental health of a generation of flyers. The toothpaste supply could well be an act of redemption on part of the said airline to undo the ill effects of past follies.
