Church & Dwight Targeted Kids With Product Labeled "Keep Out of Reach of Children"
Church & Dwight ran ads for Orajel Toddler Training Toothpaste on kids TV even though the product is labeled "keep out of the reach of children." The company, cited in a decision by the Children's Advertising Review Unit, has promised not to advertise Orajel to kids again. CARU said:
The advertising in question features a young child brushing his teeth, while a voiceover discusses the benefits of the Orajel toothpaste. There is no parental presence or adult supervision in the commercial, although it is stated that "moms want the product." The label on the product stated "Keep out of the reach of children" and the warning was also noted on the Orajel Website.CARU, the ad industry's de facto kids advertising police force, noted dryly:
CARU questioned the appropriateness of advertising a product directly to children that is labeled "keep out of the reach of children."C&D's excuse is that "it had recently purchased Del Laboratories, the previous owner of Orajel Toddler Training Toothpaste, among other products. In addition to the brands, Church & Dwight also acquired the relevant advertising placement schedules." The decision itself says:
The Advertiser explained that advertising for the product had already been scheduled to run through and including December 2008.C&D is skirting the truth with this reasoning. As its own press release notes, the deal to acquire Orajel closed last April. As you can see from the level of detail in the release, C&D was intimately familiar with the franchise back in spring. Also, the acquisition consisted almost entirely of Orajel, it was not "among other brands." This isn't some random legacy product at the bottom of the portfolio.
And it is not as if TV networks -- which are hurting for business right now and are desperate to please their clients -- are inflexible when companies want to change ads. Note that C&D is quoted as saying it was committed to the "schedules." That's a key elision -- the commitment is to the airtime buy. C&D had all the time in the world to change its creative, which is completely separate from the schedule. Looks like someone at C&D was asleep at the wheel.
Side note: This isn't a unique event. Johnson & Johnson was previously cited for advertising Clean & Clear Day Soft Oil-Free Moisturizer on kids TV, even though that product also carries a warning that says, "keep out of reach of children." J&J had a rather more petulant response than C&D, which you can read here.