Listerine mouthwash

These adverts are for Listerine mouthwash and show the effects of bad breath.   

Goldenberg, Mazursky and Solomon suggested 6 fundamental templates of quality ads in their paper (1999), one of which is the extreme situation template, which this advert fits with. This template uses extreme situations to show the use of the product the advert is promoting. In this particular advert, it shows an extreme case of people distancing themselves, and covering their faces from a person with bad breath.  The second example of Listerine mouthwash adverts, is even more extreme, and suggests that even paramedics will be affected by your bad breath, and will use anything to avoid smelling your breath, and this in turn may affect the speed of treatment!

However, another template these adverts use is the consequences template (Goldenberg et al, 1999). This template shows the implications of using or not using the product which they are advertising. This advert would be using the inverted consequences version of this template. This version shows viewers that people will purposefully cower away from you, regardless of the setting, as a consequence of not using their product.

Goldenberg, J., Mazurksy, D., & Solomon, S. (1999). The Fundamental Templates of Quality Ads. Marketing Science, 18 (3), 333-351.