Listerine

The Study of Bold

Using Listerine is a smack-in-the-face experience. The brand didn’t want to just suggest that people who used it carried that boldness throughout their day. They wanted to verify it.

Yes, this was a real study. Seriously.

Concept

For Listerine, a brand built on numbers like “99.9%” and “4 out of 5,” we asked—why not use numbers to prove an emotional benefit?

Execution

A global survey revealed facts and insights that we amplified through:

  • :30 TV spot

  • Attention-grabbing print and OOH

  • Terrestrial radio and streaming ad reads

Listerine surveyed 6,000 people across the US, UK, Germany, Thailand, Japan, and Brazil. Within a 95% statistical confidence it found that its users made bold choices throughout their days.

You can read it in the graphics below.

A billboard on a beige brick wall featuring purple background with white and purple text promoting Listerine mouthwash. The text emphasizes the number of daily users and the benefits of fresh breath. An image of a hand holding a bottle of Listerine is in the bottom right corner.

(Classic Gary.)

A lot of companies make big claims about their products. Listerine wanted to verify it.

The results were conclusive:
People around the world who used Listerine live bold. While interning at JWT, I was able to produce the first work of my career by contributing to the writing in this campaign across OOH, print, and audio.

Purple background with large white and purple text about Listerine mouthwash, featuring an image of a hand holding a bottle of Listerine Total Care mouthwash in the bottom right corner.
Large purple billboard on building promoting Listerine mouthwash, mentioning benefits like 12 hours of fresh breath, and a study about oral care benefits in one bottle.
A promotional poster for Listerine mouthwash featuring a purple background, large white and purple text with a fact and a humorous theory about ice ages, and a hand holding a bottle of Listerine Total Care mouthwash with some green leaves around the bottle.