NAD turns down Colgate’s advertising claims over Sensitive toothpaste

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) in US has asked oral care Colgate-Palmolive to either modify or withdraw some of its advertising claims for its Sensitive Pro-Relief Toothpaste that claims to work faster than competitive firm GlaxoSmithKline’s Sensodyne.

The agency said that this is not the first time that major firms have had issues over advertising.

NAD reviewed Colgate’s claims for broadcast and print advertising that are directed to oral care professionals and includes claims such as ‘Gets to the nerve faster for a long-lasting relief,’ ‘Faster vs. Sensodyne toothpaste. Within 2 weeks. Based on clinical studies. Lasting relief with continued use,’ among various others.

The self regulatory forum for advertising industry stated that Colgate’s ads have not conveyed the message that its paste provides immediate or instant relief; and that it could not support stand-alone claims that the product is effective.

NAD said that the record of evidence did not support Colgate’s claims that the toothpaste worked ‘faster’ than Sensodyne to reduce pain as well as claiming that it was ‘clinically proven better’ than the competitor’s sensitivity toothpaste.

Colgate said that it would appeal NAD’s finding that it had insufficient support for certain superiority claims for its toothpaste vs. Sensodyne, along with NAD’s rejection of Colgate’s time-to-improvement analysis.

GSK also is seeking to appeal a portion of NAD’s decision regarding Colgate’s use of the percentage differentials in materials directed to a professional audience.