The National Advertising Review Board is recommending Wrigley to change its advertising approach and do not use the claims like “most other gums just mask bad breath” in its Eclipse Gum ad spots without actual scientific confirmation. One of the company’s rival, Cardbury, and the NARB (the appeals division of the National Advertising Review Council, the ad industry’s self-regulatory system) are sure that Wrigley has gone too far when stating this.
Wrigley claims that magnolia bark extract in its new gum kills germs that cause bad breath, but at the current moment there are no completed researches supporting this. Still, the brand claims in one of its ads that “Eclipse contains a natural ingredient, scientifically proven to help kill the germs that cause bad breath” and “Most other gums just mask bad breath. We kill the germs that cause it.” The NARB is sure that it’s too early to build the marketing campaign using such a strong argument when it is not fully justified.
Wrigley’s representatives say that the company will consider the panel’s recommendations for future advertising and will continue the researches of magnolia bark extract. It would be not that easy for the brand to stop this advertising campaign, as it spent $50 million last year and $17 million this year on the Eclipse’s promotion.