National Advertising Review Board Recommends Merck Discontinue "Best in Show" Commercial for Bravecto Flea and Tick Preventative for Dogs

NEW YORK, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A panel of the National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the appellate advertising law body of BBB National Programs, has recommended that Merck Animal Health discontinue its "Best in Show" commercial for Bravecto brand flea and tick preventative based on the NARB panel's finding that the 30-second commercial reasonably communicates an implied misleading and unsupported message that a rival company's NexGard brand flea preventative fails to protect against fleas for twelve weeks because of a lack of efficacy.

The advertising at issue had been challenged before the National Advertising Division (NAD) by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc., maker of NexGard. Following NAD's decision (Case No. 7029), Merck appealed NAD's recommendation that it discontinue its 30-second "Best in Show" television commercial.

In agreement with NAD, the NARB panel determined that Merck's commercial in its current form is not sufficiently clear in conveying that Bravecto's longer lasting performance in preventing fleas as compared to NexGard is due solely to the fact that Bravecto is a chew designed to last 12 weeks, while NexGard is a chew designed to last for one month.

The NARB panel found that this lack of clarity results in a reasonable interpretation by consumers that the NexGard single dose product failed to continue working through the 12-week time period portrayed in the commercial because it is less efficacious, a claim which both parties agree is not supported. The panel noted that there is nothing in the record to indicate that NexGard when used as directed with monthly dosing is less effective than Bravecto at preventing fleas and ticks over a 12-week period.

For these reasons, the NARB panel recommended that Merck discontinue its 30 second "Best in Show" advertisement.

The NARB panel also found that nothing in the NAD decision prevents Merck from advertising a truthful message that a single dose of Bravecto is designed to last 12 weeks compared to NexGard's one-month dosing design, and any benefit that may come from that, such as convenience to pet owners.

Merck stated that it "will comply with the NARB's decision." The advertiser further stated that it "respectfully disagrees with the majority's ruling that the Bravecto 30-second 'Best in Show' commercial reasonably conveys a message other than that one dose of Bravecto has a longer duration of action than a dose of NexGard. Nonetheless, Merck Animal Health will consider the NARB's recommendations in future advertising."

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs is where businesses turn to enhance consumer trust and consumers are heard. The non-profit organization creates a fairer playing field for businesses and a better experience for consumers through the development and delivery of effective third-party accountability and dispute resolution programs. Embracing its role as an independent organization since the restructuring of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in June 2019, BBB National Programs today oversees more than a dozen leading national industry self-regulation programs, and continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-directed marketing, and privacy. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Review Board (NARB): The National Advertising Review Board (NARB) is the appellate body for BBB National Programs' advertising self-regulatory programs. NARB's panel members include 85 distinguished volunteer professionals from the national advertising industry, agencies, and public members, such as academics and former members of the public sector. NARB serves as a layer of independent industry peer review that helps engender trust and compliance in NAD, CARU, and DSSRC matters. 

SOURCE BBB National Programs