Everyone knows that Listerine kills the germs that cause bad breath. You probably assumed that meant that Listerine would cure bad breath. But it doesn’t. Nor does it cure dandruff. Or prevent colds. Or eliminate the need for flossing. That, of course, hasn’t kept the makers of Listerine from making all of those claims. This lesson examines misleading (and even outright false) advertisements for Listerine, a well-known household product. Students will locate and analyze several alternative sources of information about Listerine’s claims and weigh their credibility.
Objectives
In this activity students will:
- Review and analyze the claims of several different Listerine advertisements.
- Review and analyze material from several different sources that comment on the advertising claims made by Listerine.
- Determine the credibility of different sources that comment on the advertising claims made by Listerine.
- Understand the importance of detecting misleading advertising.