OFTEN A BRIDESMAID BUT NEVER A BRIDE? USE LISTERINE

Listerine mouth wash did more than merely bestow upon the English language a lasting turn of phrase. Prior to its being marketed as a breath freshener (its earlier uses were to sterilize gauze bandages, clean floors, irrigate nasal passages, and the product was even touted as both baldness and gonorrhea cures), folks weren’t overly concerned about their bad breath.

Only a series of Listerine print ads (including “Often a bridesmaid but never a bride”) prompted consumers to buy mouth rinses to combat their halitosis.