In June 2004 Pfizer Inc mouthwash Listerine Antiseptic

Last updated: 2/17/2024

In June 2004 Pfizer Inc mouthwash Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash Print ads and hangtags on the bottles stores featured an image of a Listerine bottle balanced on a scale against a white container of dental floss the The campaign also featured a television commercial that announced Listerine s as effective as floss at fighting plaque and gingivitis Clinical studies prove it Although the commercial cautions that t here s no replacement for flossing the commercial repeats two more times the message that Listerine is as effective as flossing against plaque and gingivitis The commercial also shows a narrow stream of blue liquid flowing out of a Cool Mint Listerine bottle then tracking a piece of dental floss being pulled from a white floss container and then swirling around and between teeth bringing to mind an image of liquid floss McNeil PPC Inc PPC a division of Johnson Johnson the market leader in sales of string dental floss and other interdental cleaning products brought suit alleging that Pfizer engaged in false advertising and unfair competition in violation of 43 a of the Lanham Act 15 U S C 1125 a PPC contends that Pfizer s advertisements are false and misleading because the ads implicitly claim that Listerine is a replacement for floss that all the benefits of flossing may be obtained by rinsing with Listerine PPC filed a motion for an injunction to stop Pfizer from running the ads Would you be deceived by the ad from Pfizer Why do you think Johnson Johnson got so upset over it Do you think J J could have retaliated a different way Do you think J J was looking out for customers