:: adgruntie :: Cars, animated women, floss and Lil Jon

+ The Canadian arm of Toyota has dropped "Tsunami" from the name of it's sporty version of the Celica. They announced the new vehicle in Jan 2004 with that name but after recent events have changed it to the Celica Sports Package.

+ If you're a SuperAdGrunt, head over to AdLand and check out the new Dove- Unstick Your Style spots featuring Wilma Flintstone, Velma (from Scooby Doo) and Jane Jetson. Brilliant work by Ogilvy!

+ You better floss. A judge ruled that Listerine couldn't claim that using mouthwash was as effective as flossing, has they had in their advertising.

The judge said "substantial evidence" demonstrates that flossing is important in reducing tooth decay and gum disease and that it cannot be replaced by rinsing with a mouthwash.

The judge also noted that the authors of articles on which Pfizer based its advertising campaign had emphasized that dental professionals should continue to recommend daily flossing and cautioned that they were not suggesting that mouth rinse be used instead of floss.

Chin said Pfizer based its findings on two flawed studies of people with mild to moderate gingivitis who did not use floss properly. The studies, he added, proved only that Listerine is "as effective as improperly used floss." [snip]...
The judge said Pfizer had received complaints about its advertising, including one from a dental professional who said he was "aghast" to hear of the company's claims and another who said the claims "can set back years of progress by the ethical dental profession in convincing patients that flossing is essential for their oral health."
[snip]...
The judge said he found it "highly troubling" that Pfizer took the position in the lawsuit that floss can be replaced by Listerine even though it had told dental professionals for two years that it was not suggesting that was the case.

Tsk Tsk. Proof that when you lie in your ads, you get found out. Honesty people, honesty!

+ Probably most well known from spoofs on Dave Chappelle's show, Lil Jon has gone the route of many rappers and pop stars. In March 2004 he "teamed up with Sidney Frank, a liquor-business veteran and the creator of Grey Goose vodka, to make Crunk!!!, an energy drink named for the slang term for acting crazy or excited." BusinessWeek Online spoke with Lil Jon about how he plans to set Crunk!!! apart in the crowded energy-drink market, why hip-hop lends itself to entrepreneurship, and what his next business move will be. Check it out- they talk branding, strategy, and Lil Jon's business role models.