In the past, television commercials promoting toothpaste featured a well-known chef expressing satisfaction with the latest in toothpaste flavors, including citrus, herbal, mint, and cinnamon. U.S. consumers fully understand the health benefits of brushing their teeth, so makers of the various brands sold in the toothpaste market seek to emphasize how good their toothpastes taste.

Manufacturers have also differentiated their toothpastes by promoting them as beauty products. Using such names as Whitening Expressions and Rejuvenating Effects, toothpaste companies battle in media ads to convince toothpaste consumers that their great-tasting brands of toothpaste will also produce the brightest smiles.

If several consumers become convinced that a particular brand of toothpaste really will rejuvenate their teeth, what will happen to the price elasticity of demand for that particular toothpaste?