By Jessica Wohl
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Mouthwash makers were once satisfied
with telling customers that their products stop bad breath. Now
they’re getting more aggressive, touting emerging science that
a healthy mouth may lead to a healthy body.
There are still no studies proving a connection between
oral health and overall health, but a new campaign from
Listerine sets out to explain the relationship.
A print advertisement which debuted in Wednesday’s edition
of USA Today depicts a Listerine bottle donning a stethoscope.
“If you think it’s just for your mouth, think bigger,” the
ad states.
“There’s an association between the health of the mouth and
the health of the body,” said Dr. Madeline Monaco, director of
oral care professional relations, and a member of Listerine’s
research & development team.
Still, while there is a “pretty strong association,” she
said, no cause and effect studies have been conducted to show
if gingivitis or advanced gum disease can cause health problems
such as heart disease or diabetes.
The new educational push comes as Listerine, the No. 1
mouthwash from Pfizer Inc., feels some pressure from Procter &
Gamble Co.’s Crest Pro-Health, which came to the U.S. market in
early 2005.
“The reality is that there’s more competition out there and
so the perennial category standard bearer, Listerine, is
feeling it,” said Robert Passikoff is founder and president of
consultancy Brand Keys Inc.
The advertisement only says that “emerging science
suggests” a link, wording safe enough for the American Dental
Association to give its seal of acceptance. Listerine is also
sponsoring an ADA brochure entitled “Health Mouth Health Body:
Making the Connection.”
The latest campaign comes after Listerine had to change its
advertising in January 2005 after a judge ruled that comparing
the mouthwash to dental floss was false and misleading.
“We really did our homework to make sure that what we were
saying reflected the state of the science,” Monaco said,
including discussions with the ADA, the American Heart
Association and the American Medical Association.
Listerine commanded 45 percent of the overall
mouthwash/dental rinse market in the United States in the year
ended July 16, but its sales slipped 4.9 percent, according to
Information Resources Inc., whose data excludes Wal-Mart. Crest
Pro-Health had a 9.3 percent share of the market in that time.
“Our share is down a little bit, as you’d expect from a
major new competitor coming into the marketplace,” said Jeremy
Puttock, a Listerine marketing director.
He called the new push “a significant initiative for
Listerine” but declined to disclose financial details.
Listerine also updated its web site
(http://www.listerine.com) this week to tout the ideas. At the
same time, Crest Pro-Health is coming out with a new toothpaste
and discusses the healthy mouth-healthy body connection on its
own site (http://www.crest.com/prohealth/home.jsp).
Johnson & Johnson is set to buy Pfizer’s consumer products
business later this year. Pfizer said that it did not discuss
the new Listerine campaign with J&J.
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