UPDATED Netnography Case Study on Listerine by NetBase

Listerine Assessment on Social Media
February 12, 2010

Overview
This study is an analysis of consumers’ perception of Listerine.
• Source data:
 Social Media - content on the Internet generated by consumers, e.g. blogs.
• Quantitative analysis:
 Amount of discussion about Listerine relative to other topics.
 Consumer sentiment & passion about Listerine relative to other topics.
 Drivers of consumer behavior in the mouthwash category.
• Qualitative analysis:
 Overall reasons consumers like or dislike Listerine.
 Key insights about Listerine consumers.

Summary of Findings
• Consumers most like Listerine’s germ-killing action.
• The most prevalent complaint from consumers is that Listerine is too harsh.
• Overall reasons given for liking and disliking Listerine are as follows (in rank order):
• Listerine has a tremendous number of off-label uses for personal and
home care based on its efficacy.
Likes Dislikes
Kills germs Too harsh
Treats toenail fungus Toxicity
Good mosquito repellent Efficacy
Treats bad breath Taste
Treats acne Link to alcoholism

Research Approach
• Use freely available consumer generated discussions
(“Social Media”) to understand:
 Overall positive/negative preference for Listerine.
 Opportunities for leveraging likes and compensating for or
overcoming dislikes.
• Investigations centralized on Listerine but also included
some related terms:
 Specific flavors of Listerine
 Related Listerine products, e.g. Listerine Strip

Social Media Sources for Consumer Insights
Internet Forums
 Online communities where
consumers post questions, answers,
comments, and general discussions.
 Forums are often associated with
particular topics such as hobbies,
geographies, sports, lifestyles,
illnesses, and more.
Blogs
 Commentary or news on a particular
subject; other blogs function as
personal online diaries.
 Some blogs allow readers to leave
comments, thus fostering discussions
like those found in online forums.
Microblogs
 Communication platforms where
users post short status messages.
 The most popular microblog
currently is Twitter.

How many “hits” are there for Listerine?
The term Listerine is mentioned infrequently on social media.
• Netflix is a good comparison since it is mentioned so much on the web.
• Listerine is mentioned about as much as the major airlines.

What is the overall sentiment for Listerine?
• As compared to other brands, consumer sentiment for Listerine is moderate.
• Photoshop and Comcast are reliable control variables for positive and
negative extremes.

Recommend Behavior
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Attributes – Net Scores
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Main Opportunities & Threats
The main positives and negatives were analyzed for
opportunities and threats.
Potential actions are proposed to address these opportunities and
threats.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Leverage the voice of the customer
 Half of all positive comments are
about Listerine’s core germ-killing
benefit.
 Consumers have many ways they
talk about this though.
 In advertising creative, have real
consumers talk about the benefits of
Listerine in their own language.
 Emphasize killing germs over killing
bacteria since that’s the most
prevalent term, even though it’s not
that technical.
We have used Listerine for a while
because it seems to be the best at
cleaning and keeping the mouth and
teeth healthy.
Listerine is really great for protecting your
teeth from decay.
Listerine mouthwash was proven to be
effective in inhibiting the development of
plaque and in reducing gingivitis.
I also use Listerine to kill bacterias and
floss every night.
I heard Listerine kills h1n1 germs???
Oh yes gargle, Listerine kills germs!
Go and rinse it with listerine, listerine kills
the germs in your mouth, hence preventing
a ulcer .germs that brushing can't.
Listerine penetrates this film and kills the
germs that can lead to gingivitis and
other oral problems.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: New Listerine with Soothing Power
 Develop a gentle version of
Listerine.
 New product could be called
Listerine with Soothing Power.
 Investigate one consumer’s idea of
a peroxide-based mouthwash. (hint:
use illumin8)
 The biggest issue raised by
consumers is that Listerine is too
harsh.
 This theme was 14% of negative
comments.
Listerine is too strong for me that it
sometimes had a tendency to hurt the sides of
my mouth.
There isn't the sting that you get from
Listerine, but you do feel.
listerine and other mouthwash brands have
strong chemicals to clean your mouth better
than toothbrush, but the same chemicals can
hurt our tongue and gums.
The listerine likely irritated it, it has a high
alcohol content.
@lordtrilink Listerine is oral death.
Sometimes... when the listerine is too strong
and I want the "sting" to stop.
It's pretty cool, and normally one can find
peroxide for less than a dollar a bottle,
whereas Listerine is quite expensive and
burns while peroxide does not.
JK The alcohol in the listerine could cause
soreness if you do it for too long though.
Listerine might be a little harsh.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Toenail fungus treatment
 Determine effectiveness of
Listerine for toenail fungus
treatment.
 Introduce a toenail fungus
treatment “from the makers of
Listerine”.
 The second most mentioned benefit
of Listerine is that it can be used to
treat toenail fungus.
 This theme was 9% of positive
comments.
Listerine Nail Fungus Remedy - I have also
heard people saying Listerine footbaths can
cure toenail fungus.
Many toenail fungus sufferers recommend
using Listerine to help overcome the problem
without having to use other products, whether
they are prescription, over the counter or
other home remedies.
Listerine mixed with vinegar is also a
good solution you can use as foot soak to
treat toenail fungus.
Many people find that when it comes to
treating nail fungus Listerine and vinegar
combined offer even faster results.
Listerine is supposed to be one of the
biggest myths in nail fungus
treatments even though a lot of people
claim soaking their feet in it has
completely cured their nail fungus.
Vicks, Listerine, Epsom salts, and hydrogen
peroxide are also other options for a toenail
fungus cure although these have been met
with mixed results.
Listerine mouthwash is another common
way to try and treat toenail fungus.
 If Listerine is deemed to be good for toenail treatment,
some non-believers will need to be informed.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Mosquito repellent
 Determine effectiveness of Listerine
as a mosquito repellent.
 Publish a survival kit with Listerine
listed as not only a mouth wash but
also a mosquito repellent.
 A commonly mentioned benefit of
Listerine is that it can be used to
repel mosquitoes.
comments.
i heard Listerine is good for misquitos.
 If Listerine is deemed to be good for repelling mosquitoes,
some skeptics will need to be informed.
A friend told me about killing mosquitos
with Listerine, at first, I thought it was a
joke, then a couple of weeks ago, I
sprayed Listerine on the areas where I was
bitten, the itch went away quickly.
Don't believe everything you read in a
chain letter, however, Listerine sprayed or
wiped on arms and legs do keep
mosquitoes away.
Buck and Judy sent in a tip about using
Listerine to repel mosquitoes.
Listerine is also good to spray on yourself
to keep the miskiters off you.
I heard one time about using Listerine to
repel mosquitoes, but I do not know if it
works for these nasty fleas.
The best way of getting rid of mosquitoes
is Listerine, the original medicinal type.
I am going to see if this rumor about using
Listerine to kill mosquitoes really works.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Acne treatment
Listerine for acne treatment.
 Introduce an acne treatment “from
the makers of Listerine”.
Some people use Listerine mouthwash as a
toner, because the menthol helps
inflammatory acne.
 Many consumers talk about using
Listerine to treat their acne.
 A few disputed the efficacy of this
practice.
comments.
I heard that toothpaste and listerine can be
used to clear or reduce acne.
Listerine is useful for zapping your zits Q.
I read in a magazine that Listerine can
actually help reduce the redness of acne.
I can't offer you a
solution, but just
don't use Listerine
on your face.
 If Listerine is deemed to be good for acne treatment, some
non-believers will need to be informed.
I have used Listerine for years to clear up
small blemishes.
Rubbing listerine on
the face helps you get
rid of spots...? you're
being gullible.
Do not use toothpaste or
Listerine!!!

Potential Actions
Insight
Threat: Alcohol abuse
 Make a donation to Alcoholics
Anonymous or to science for
alcoholism research.
 Do a Public Service Announcement
(PSA) about the importance of
getting treatment.
 Promote Listerine’s efforts to fight
alcoholism.
 Do a campaign to educate the market
on how little alcohol Listerine actually
contains.
 A surprising number of people
complained about alcoholics
consuming Listerine.
comments.
RT @SharonHayes @andycrash Just
threw away my wife's Listerine.
As you have realized, she might be abusing
Listerine for its alcohol content.
Well, Yeah, I'd Think.......it's not good
to chug a bottle of listerine either.
Can I get drunk by drinking listerine? […]
Judging it has a poison control number on my
bottle of Listerine, I don't recommend it.
We heard from another reader who
reported that her mother died of liver
failure, kidney failure and heart failure
after several years of secretly
drinking large amounts of Listerine.
Sister abusing Listerine needs immediate help.
So, instead of going to the store to buy their
alcohol, the drunks will now be storming
places such as Wal-Mart in search of that
special little bottle of listerine.
With an alcohol concentration between
21% and 26% w/v, it is possible to get
drunk off of Listerine, as
demonstrated by Coach Z. However,
the alcohol in Listerine is denatured,
which would cause him to regurgitate it
before the alcohol could take effect.
I don't know the alcohol content of Listerine but
depending upon the size of the bottle assuming
you even hold down the contents of that bottle
you could get drunk and/or throw up.
Understandable use of Listerine would be to
cover up the beer on the breath, but a lot of
alcoholics drink it to get drunk or get a buzz
off of it, not to mention that mouth wash
doesn't even compare to the cost of actual
drinking alcohol.

Potential Actions
Insight
Threat: Dries out mouth
 Investigate the validity of the causal
connection drawn by consumers and
the media.
 If deemed to be true, develop a new
formulation to address this problem.
 If false, then Listerine should address
this better in public service pages like
this one:
http://www.listerine.com/healthy-
mouth-body-dry-mouth.jsp.
 Several consumers complained that
Listerine dries out their mouth.
 This is caused by the alcohol.
 A dry mouth is believed to
exacerbate bad breath.
comments.
Crest Pro Health mouth wash is a better
option than Listerine because it does not
have alcohol in it (which can dry out
your mouth).
It's ironic, but i suspect that Listerine at
night is bad for your breath, since it
contains alcohol => drys your mouth,
but you can't drink while you're asleep =>
excessive drying => bad breath.
The only problem with Listerine is that in
a documentary I saw on tv, they said
alcohol based mouth washes actually dry
out your mouth (because alcohol has a
drying effect) and in the long run can
cause bad breath.
According to my hygienist, the alcohol would
dry out your mouth-impeding
the natural mineralization of teeth from saliva
and possibly bad breath from a dry mouth.
Do not use listerine, it has alcohol in it and the
alcohol has a tendency to dry the mouth out.
Pro Health has no alcohol, because it is better
to fight bacteria and gingivitis does not dry out
your mouth, but told by another dentist, I was
using Listerine, because the alcohol, which is
the basis for the elimination of these bacteria
what happens with this.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Effectiveness of Twice a Day campaign
 Begin to measure effectiveness of
campaigns by looking for the
messaging among consumers
talking to each other.
Chuck Norris doesn't brush his teeth; he
simply pours Listerine into his vodka
twice a day.
Listerine and Reach created the “October
Oral Care Challenge” for kids 6 and older.
To complete the challenge, our family
had to brush, floss and rinse every day,
twice a day for two weeks. We currently
use, and have used both Listerine and
Reach products for years, so this was an
easy challenge for our family.
 Listerine’s recent ad campaign
encourages people to use Listerine
twice per day.
 Many consumers have not only
begun to do so, but they also have
begun to talk about it.
Lately, some others have been added:
gargle twice a day with warm salt water,
or Listerine; drink hot liquids, such as tea
and chicken soup, to ward off or diminish
virus proliferation in throat.
I brush my teeth 2+ times a day every
day, and I use Listerine.
Also brushing at least twice a day and
using Antiseptic mouthwash like Listerine
twice a day AM & PM.
I would start using Listerine 2 to 3 times
a day.

Insights for Ideation
Certain insights emerged from analysis of other consumer
comments that were less frequent.
Those not deemed quantitatively significant could be
studied further.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Athlete’s foot treatment
Listerine as a treatment for
Athlete’s foot.
 Introduce an Athlete’s foot
treatment “from the makers of
Listerine”.
 Listerine is said to be effective at
treating Athlete’s foot.
Applying Listerine in this manner as a
remedy for athlete's foot is harmless for
youngsters and adults alike.
If you find that you have developed a
case of Athlete's Foot, Listerine can be
used to remove this stuborn foot fungus.
(An alternative is to use the vinegar
method and soak your feet two times
daily in Listerine, but this might be a
little costly!)
A good treatment for athlete's foot is to
pour Listerine on it.
There are many ways to get rid of the
troublesome foot fungus such as an
application of Listerine on a cotton pad
and applying it to your feet twice a day.
Listerine was better known as a
preventive measure for Athlete's foot as
a real deal.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Hair care
 Investigate the validity of this claim.
 Introduce a line of hair care products
“from the makers of Listerine”.
 People talk about the benefits of
treating their hair with Listerine.
 Popular reasons for this include
treating head lice and dandruff.
Yellow Listerine enrich your hair growth
and threatens the dandruff.
For head lice use Listerine (original
flavor): Another remedy for treating
head lice is rubing listerine mouth wash
on your head.
And the try was worth it because after
drenching her hair with Listerine and
wrapping it in a ziplock bag (I don't own a
shower cap), I found 3 more dead lice in
her hair.
Joey Green recommends rinsing hair with
vinegar or Listerine mouthwash after a
regular shampoo to kill bacteria and
reduce dandruff.
Head lice remedy Dandruff treatment

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Listerine reminds me of Grandpa
 Include a grandfather figure in
advertising creative.
 Test whether emphasizing the
masculinity of Listerine (e.g. its
strong flavor) makes it more
appealing to some consumers.
 A few consumers talked about their
emotional connection to Listerine.
 Listerine tends to remind some
people of their grandfathers.
LISTERINE. This stuff is the smell of my
childhood hero, my Grandpa.
I've always made strong emotional
connections between smells and people.
For instance, the smell of Listerine still
reminds me of my grandfather (he died
when I was 7).
Generally, the idea of Listerine gives me the shivers. I think of the old school original
flavor that my grandpa used to use and want to run screaming
I buy Listerine because it reminds me of
Grandpa and whenever I see a caraway
seed, I can hear his voice.
For fun last week, I asked Art of Manliness
Facebook Fans and Twitter followers what
smells they thought were manly. […] And the
smell of a strong pot of coffee brewing also
brings back memories, that and the way the
old tan colored Listerine smells.
 However, the connection to grandpa might not be a positive
association for all consumers.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Prevent digestive problems
 If it’s deemed to be true, incorporate
this benefit into Listerine product
messaging.
 Link Listerine to the trend in probiotics.
 Bundle Listerine with a probiotic.
 Emphasize that this benefit was
discovered by “you” the consumer.
 A couple of people mentioned that
Listerine has digestive benefits.
 They reasoned that digestive
problems stem from germs, so killing
germs in the mouth stops them at
the source.
Go and rinse it with listerine, listerine kills the germs in your mouth,
hence preventing a ulcer.
LISTERINE diluted with water or glycerine speedily relieves certain
fermentative forms of indigestion.
Possible Campaign
Bad bacteria  Remove with Listerine
Good bacteria  Replenish with probiotics

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Listerine for Gen-Y
 Develop a special non-alcohol
based formula.
 Market this formula to this segment
of tongue-piercing consumers.
 Several people who have tongue
piercings recommended not using
Listerine as an aftercare treatment.
 The alcohol in Listerine burns the
piercing they say.
You can use listerine, but it's not
recommended for oral piercings because the
alcohol in it is too harsh for the piercing.
Don't rinse with a harsh commercial
mouthwash such as Scope or Listerine, as
they can definitely irritate your piercing.
I'm not too sure but most likely since when i
first got my lip piercing ; i was told to not use
listerine because it would burn too much.
I went on google today to look up how to care
for the piercing and the first thing it said was
NOT to use any kind of listerine.
Again, listen to your piercer but I do strongly
advise against using Listerine or any
mouthwash with alcohol in it.
they tell you to use listerine but that
has alot of alcohol in it so if you
use it do half water and half listerine
that is what they told me when i got
my tounge pierced and be sure to
clean it after you do ANYTHING if
you smoke, eat, drink, or anything
else with your mouth be sure to rinse
it well or it will get infected.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Personal Care
 Introduce a line of personal care
products “from the makers of
Listerine”.
 Some consumers have found
Listerine useful for treating other
fungal infections.
 Women have found it useful for
yeast infections.
 Men have found it useful for treating
jock itch.
Ring worm, jock itch, and athlete’s foot
are all Tinea infections caused by nasty
little fungi called dermatophytes. […] To
freshen your breath and treat those
disturbed areas gargle and then spray
some Listerine on your problem areas for
another alternative treatment.
Although there are drugs and home
remedies for yeast infectio, the latest
method is the treatment with
pharmaceutical products like Lamisil
and Listerine.
I heard Listerine was good for a yeast .
The Yeast infection cure with Listerine is
one choice for your purpose.
Many folks have had success with old-
fashioned amber Listerine for jock itch.
That could explain why others report that
original formula Listerine works against
nail fungus, athlete's foot, jock itch and
"trucker's bottom" (whatever that is).
One can also apply Listerine to a sterile
cotton pad. This is then, gently rubbed
onto yeast infection twice a day. You
need not to rinse it.

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: General topical antiseptic
 Publish a survival kit with Listerine
listed as not only a mouth wash but
also a mosquito repellent, and a
general topical antiseptic.
 Due to Listerine’s germ-killing ability,
several people mentioned the
benefits of using it as a topical
antiseptic agent.
LISTERINE is invaluable in obstetrics and
gynaecology as a general cleansing,
prophylactic, or antiseptic agent.
Listerine is a very good
antiseptic, which is effective in
fighting the infection.
LISTERINE is useful in the
treatment of the infectious
maladies which are attended by
inflammation of accessible
surfaces - as diphtheria, scarlet
fever and pertussis.
Does Listerine Kill The Bacteria
Underneath The Foreskin And
Does It Burn?

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Dissolves Suboxone
 Investigate the effectiveness and
dangers of this practice.
 If deemed to be beneficial, put up a
web page describing proper use of
Listerine for this purpose.
 Promote the web page through
Google AdWords campaign on
“suboxone” and/or “dissolving
suboxone”.
 Some patients who take Suboxone
find Listerine helpful for taking their
medication.
 Suboxone must be dissolved under
the tongue and Listerine accelerates
the dissolving.
 Suboxone is used to treat opiod
addiction. (link)
When I take mine I brush my teeth and put listerine in my mouth, then spit it out. Right after
that I put my suboxone in my mouth, dissolve and crap, then iv'e been mixing it up with the
spitting and swallowing. Sometimes I swallow but recently iv'e been spitting because I feel it
has been working better. I use the listerine because it helps dissolve the suboxone
faster. I swish the spit around and let it sit for a while and then I spit it out, if anyone knows
any other ways to take it please let me know, so far this is working well.
Using a couple of drops of scope or listerine works well for this. It dissolves the pill
quicker along with covering up some of the nasty taste. But like I said ONLY a couple of
drops, any more than that will probably be too painful to hold in your mouth for ten minutes.
How to take
SUBOXONE enters the bloodstream
from under the tongue. (link)
My example schedule is:
1. Take all the inhibitors an hour before my dose with 50mg benadryl.
2. Crush up my amount and add a few drops of vodka then mix the solution.
3. Swish Listerine all throughout my mouth for 2 minutes.
4. Pour Buprenorphine + Alcohol solution under my tongue and let it absorb for 15 or so
minutes (longer is better).

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Make glue for Kanzashi
 Develop a germ-killing wash
suitable for rinsing rice, fresh fruits,
vegetables, etc.
 Similarly, develop a rinse for home
craft hobbyists who need to
disinfect raw materials found in
nature.
 One person wrote an article about
making glue for Kanzashi in which
Listerine was used.
 The Listerine disinfected the rice
used to make the glue.
Cook 2 cups of rice (follow the instructions on the packet), onced cooked add
an additional half a cup of water and a tablespoon of listerine (mouthwash)
and let it set over night. Not only will the rice become easier to blend the next
day, the listerine also makes sure to kill any germs.
http://peachypan.com/help.php?section=tutes

Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Other Novel Uses
 There are a tremendous number of
novel uses identified by consumers
for Listerine.
 Human uses are as diverse as
healing blisters and preventing
snoring.
 Listerine is also used for pets,
plants, carpets, and even washing
machines.
Gargling with raspberry tea, turmeric,
sage, lukewarm salt water, and Listerine
can help ease a sore throat.
So I use those Listerine strips to simulate
the flavor of menthol in the cigarettes I used
to smoke.
I just bought a bottle of Listerine mouth wash.
No, not to gargle, but to treat my tooth-
brushes. I just read an article that says it will
kill millions and millions of microbes that have
taken residence there in the brush of the tool
I use in my mouth every day.
One husband, for instance, gave his wife
a heating pad, Listerine breath strips and
generic nasal strips to prevent snoring.
Listerine is a powerful antiseptic that can
actually heal painful blisters.
Anti-microbial mouthwashes such as
Listerine have also been shown to treat
canker sore pain safely.
Ease sore throat
Treat canker sore
Prevent snoring
Heal blisters
Smoking cessation
Clean toothbrush
Listerine helps kill the bacteria that cause
perspiration odor. Dab it under your arms.
(not sure I'd try that one)
Deoderant
 Provide website information on off-
label uses, whether or not they’re
effective and/or dangerous or harmful.
 Offer a forum similar to the WD-40
2000+ uses site (link), where
consumers can talk about their
questions about Listerine.
OTHER NOVEL HUMAN USES

OTHER NOVEL NON-HUMAN USES
Potential Actions
Insight
Opportunity: Other Novel Uses (cont.)
 Provide website information on off-
label uses, whether or not they’re
effective and/or dangerous or harmful.
 Offer a forum similar to the WD-40
2000+ uses site (link), where
consumers can talk about their
questions about Listerine.
 There are a tremendous number of
novel uses identified by consumers
for Listerine.
 Human uses are as diverse as
healing blisters and preventing
snoring.
 Listerine is also used for pets,
plants, carpets, and even washing
machines.
Spraying plants with a mixture that is 1 part
Listerine and 1 part water has been known to
make plants unpalatable to aphids.
Listerine can be used to clean the floor, to
wash and shine your car wheels and tires
since it has fluoride.
Eliminate mildew odors. Wipe with
full-strength Listerine.
Likewise, many home remedies
circulate the Internet targeting
specific carpet odors such as using
solutions containing ingredients as
varied as vinegar, Listerine, or
hydrogen peroxide.
I used listerine on his paw because dogs are
supposed to not like the taste and it helps
with swelling, but he liked the taste of it and
just licked it even more!
Rid plants of aphids
Pet care
Shine wheels
Remove carpet odor
Eliminate mildew odors
Jerry Baker, author of The Impatient
Gardener, suggests mixing one cup
Listerine, one cup Epsom salts, one
cup liquid soap, and one cup ammonia
in a one-quart jar, filling the rest of the
jar with beer.
Fertilize lawn
Disinfect a washing machine at a laundromat.
To avoid getting germs from another
family, wipe off the surface of the machine
with Listerine and add one-half cup Listerine
to the wash cycle to disinfect the machine.
Disinfect washing machine

Summary of Insights & Opportunities
• Overall, consumers have a
somewhat moderate view of
Listerine.
• Consumers most like Listerine’s
germ-killing action.
• The most prevalent complaint from
consumers is that Listerine is too
harsh.
• Listerine has a tremendous number
of off-label uses for personal and
home care based on its efficacy.
Top opportunities:
• Soothing Power flavor
• Toenail fungus treatment
• Mosquito repellent
• Listerine for Gen-Y
• Unique uses forum

UPDATED Netnography Case Study on Listerine by NetBase

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UPDATED Netnography Case Study on Listerine by NetBase

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