Japanese Toothpaste Ad is Pulled After Its Background Music Was Mistaken For An Emergency Alert



When Lion Corporation, a major household goods manufacturer in Japan, debuted the commercial for its Systema Gum Plus Premium Toothpaste, they had no idea it would cause such a commotion. For a country known for its quirky, often bizarre, commercials, the ad seemed pretty tame on the surface. However, the sound effect at the beginning of the ad sounds similar to the J-Alert warning system, similar to the Emergency Broadcast System in the U.S. The early warning system is used for serious threats, like natural disasters or missile attacks, and it’s a sound many don’t want to hear. In an effort to avoid nationwide panic, Lion pulled the ad from both TV and its YouTube channel on the ad’s second day. The company said it would edit the advertisement to ensure that it no longer sounds like the emergency warning system.