CARU disapproves of Orajel ad
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Church & Dwight says it will discontinue all advertising for its Orajel Toddler Training Toothpaste during children's programming hours in response to concerns expressed by Children's Advertising Review Unit as part of its routine monitoring program. Council of Better Business Bureaus division cites the product's "Keep out of the reach of children" label as sufficient reason for advertising to be deemed inappropriate content for children that should not be targeted directly to them. In November CARU handed down a similar decision to Johnson & Johnson for a Clean & Clear commercial that appeared on Nickelodeon (1"The Rose Sheet" Nov. 24, 2008, p. 6). C&D points out that with its April acquisition of Del Pharmaceuticals' over-the-counter brands, including the Orajel line, it also assumed the relevant advertising placement schedules (2"The Rose Sheet" April 7, 2008, p. 7). The commercial in question features a young child brushing his teeth while a voiceover discusses the benefits of the Orajel toothpaste. CARU notes that there is no parental presence or adult supervision, although it is stated that moms want the product. Ad was already scheduled to run through December when it bought the brand, C&D says, assuring CARU that the company has not renewed the advertising or its placement