NAD Challenges Toothbrush Claim

The BBB National Programs National Advertising Division (NAD) has recommended that Church & Dwight Co. discontinue the comparative claim that its Arm & Hammer Spinbrush toothbrush provides the “same great clean as the Oral-B Pro 1000,” as well as the accompanying value claim, “instead of paying $50, you get the same great clean for less than $10. So why pay more?”
 
These claims, which appeared in website and television advertising, were challenged by P&G, maker of the Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush.
 
NAD determined that consumers will reasonably take away from the advertiser’s parity cleaning claim that the Spinbrush provides the “same great clean” as the Oral-B Pro 1000 to mean that it will provide the same level of plaque removal, gum health and oral hygiene benefits.
 
In support of its “same great clean” claim, the advertiser relied on the results of a comparative tooth stain removal (whitening) study. However, NAD determined that this evidence was insufficient to provide a reasonable basis for a comparative “cleaning” (i.e. plaque removal) claim. Rather, such claims require support in the form of well conducted head-to-head product testing and plaque removal data, which the advertiser did not provide. Therefore, NAD recommended that the “same great clean as the Oral-B Pro 1000” claim (as well as the accompanying value claim) be discontinued.
 
In its advertiser’s statement, Church & Dwight disagreed with NAD’s findings regarding the implied claim of plaque removal parity and NAD’s conclusions regarding the sufficiency of its stain removal testing but agreed to comply with NAD’s recommendations.