Monday, October 15, 2007

Toothbrush inspiration

Have you seen the old-school Oral-B ads on TV for the $29 toothbrush? ($29! I still feel like I'm being ripped off if I spend more than about $3.)

In the style of a Viagra commercial, the ad features lots of singing and smiling people (but with an emphasis on white teeth). The ad copy slides by as a kind of reassuring background, hitting some of those scientific-sounding notes without putting lots of guys in lab coats on the screen.

My favourite of those lines: "Inspired by dentists..."

Got that? Inspired by. The toothbrush doesn't have to be designed by dentists, or specifically recommended by dentists. It is inspired by dentists. Dentists are its muse. Or its designers' muse. How inspiring.

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posted by Philip Moscovitch Link

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2 Comments:

Blogger Voltaire said...

Actually, if you really think about it, it's ingenious.

They can't be sued because the statement is entirely factual. See, when you think it, about all toothbrushes have been inspired by dentists. Presumably the very existence of a toothbrush was caused by dentists seeing a need for their patients to take care of their teeth between visits. Market forces stepped in and began selling toothbrushes. So in effect, every toothbrush out there owns its existence to dentists' inspirations.

It's arguably ingenious because to use the word "inspire" in any marketing angle conjures of positive emotions usually associated with works of art.

Still, I see your point. One day we will be hearing about a new vaccine for the ebola virus being inspired by earlier versions of the bubonic plague.

3:48 PM  
Blogger Philip Moscovitch said...

You're right. It is ingenious. I think it's stupid and ingenious at the same time.

4:09 PM  

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