Listerine: For more than your mouth?

I still have a number of vintage ads that I’ll be posting from time to time. Next up is Listerine. It was placed twice in the November 1970 issue of Ebony magazine. I wasn’t around in the 70’s but I remember the motif of the statuesque bottle on the black background. Something I never really noticed until finding these ads was Listerine’s claims to fight colds, sore throats, minor cuts, scratches, insect bites, and even infectious dandruff. The brand no longer makes these claims, but I wonder if it still remedies these ailments?

Visually, the vintage ads seem to be the exact opposite of what the brand is doing today. The focus remains benefit copy. It’s not about what Listerine can do for you, but what may happen if you don’t use Listerine. From what I remember, the old school product tasted terrible. I suppose it was a necessary evil.

Also, here’s a cool ad I found while looking for these 2 above.  I think so much more can be done with the “alcohol” spin.

Courtesy of Craig Baldo the Ad Guy.

1st ad courtesy of Mandydale. (There’s also interesting commentary on the ethics of making such medical claims)

2nd ad courtesy of Ad Sneeze