One of the most popular series of posts on an old blog I had was Vintage Ad Fun, so I thought I’d resurrect it here for your amusement. The first installment is brought to you by the miracle that is Listerine.
Are you unpopular?
It might be your “unexcusable” bad breath.
But don’t worry. You can instantly halt halitosis with Listerine.
Perhaps most miraculous of all? It will help lonely women catch and keep a man!
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Your foxtrot is divine, Rose. But what’s that evil smell about Helen? |
But Listerine wasn’t going to sell itself. First the company had to tell America it had a problem; only then would the cure be indispensable.
The fun really started in the 1920s with the halitosis ad campaigns.
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My fave. So sad. |
Sales of Listerine skyrocketed. And what’s interesting–yet not surprising–about the halitosis angle is how all these ads appear to be aimed at women, and it’s not just because women did the shopping. There were ads targeting men too, but they took a different approach.
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Use Listerine after shaving. Or else. |
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