Will "Crest" Change Its Name to "Crust"?

I remember when I was a kid I use to love Mad Magazine. Each issue would take on the cultural, political, and popular icons with its entertaining humor. I remember reading a faux commercial for the popular toothpaste brand, "Crest" and called it, "Crust" in which it celebrated how the brand will lead to your teeth falling out of your head.

That isn't likely to happen using Crest, but there is concern that the brand's new "Pro-Health" mouthwash is making their customers' teeth turn brown! The Today Show showed a lovely teenager with shiny white teeth who was seeing that glow supplanted with the dingy look caused by the Crest mouthwash. Furthermore, they are suffering from bad breath.

It appears to be only a small percentage of the population that is actually having problems with the product and those that do find the discolor problem easily treated, but it doesn't take many to cause a fuss. I don't even use the product, but the "word of mouth" (sorry, I couldn't resist) buzz has me writing about it.

Major brands like Crest -- part of the Proctor and Gamble family -- can't afford such bad press. Expect changes and notifications of such rather quickly.

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Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.