Is it essential that words like "essential" should be free for all to use to describe things that are, well, essential?

Asda has announced that it is going to launch a range called Just Essentials. This is in response to the rising costs in the marketplace. Waitrose have complained on the basis that their range is called Essential Waitrose. Waitrose have apparently written to Asda to make its complaint. This is all fairly standard trade mark dispute fare. What is interesting is the publicity campaign Waitrose have apparently launched at the same time as sending the letter. Irrespective of where the legal position falls on Waitrose's rights in the word "essential", it seems they want to publicise the dispute as soon as possible, even before Asda have responded to the complaint. We all saw the publicity around the Colin the Caterpillar dispute last year. Perhaps Waitrose just want to get some publicity for its own range at the same time that Asda launch their range.