ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) has confirmed complaints against 191 advertisements out of 269 ads that were evaluated. The list contains ads of popular brands including L’Oreal, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Salt, Polycab Wires, HDFC Life Insurance and many more.
The regulatory body has also found ads by GSK for Crocin 650, and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to be misleading for consumers.
Also Read: Celebs Will Face 3 Years Ban And A Huge Fine For ‘Misleading Ads’
Out of the total 191 ads, 114 belong to the healthcare sector, 24 to the education sector, 35 to the food & beverages category, 7 to the personal care and 11 are from the ‘others’ category. After complete research, complaints against 26 advertisements have been finalised by the CCC. Below are the reasons why these ads are termed as misleading:
L’Oreal
Alia Bhatt has endorsed ‘New Garnier Light Serum Complete Cream’ in which 2 of her friends face dark spots and dark skin problems. Alia promises them that using Garnier serum cream will solve this. Next we see Alia and her friends in all glamour and fair skin at a premiere. The ad claims, “With new Garnier Light Complete …. de three tones lighter skin sirf ek week mein”, which is misleading.
Hindustan Unilever Limited
The Pure Derm Anti Dandruff Shampoo ad claims, “Dandruff Jayega Aur Waapas Nahin Aayega” which is an absolute claim and was not adequately substantiated. In another scene, the statement “Purify your scalp everyday” makes the concept confusing and misleading. Furthermore, the claim, “10/10 derms recommend Pure Derm”, was not substantiated.
Too Yumm
Virat Kohli has featured in this ad and he can be seen munching on Too Yumm all through the commercial. Two men are shown eating vegetables whereas the cricketer is munching on the product. In the end, he says, “Kyunki TOO YUMM sirf tasty nahi, it is filled with goodness. It’s not fried, it’s baked”. The claim “It is baked, it is not fried” holds for only three variants but the ad showcases nine product variants. The advertisement’s claim, “Eat Lot and Fikar Not” and “Eat anytime anywhere, as much”, is promoting overindulgence of the product and is misleading.
Tata Salt
The ad’s claim, “No Added Chemicals”, is misleading and contradictory to the disclaimer mentioned in the advertisement.
Polycab Cables & Wires
Polycab’s claim of power saving “Polycab Wires lagao aur bijli bachao”, is misleading by implication. In the ad, actor Paresh Raval is convincing his neighbour to use Polycab wires and save electricity which is not justified.
HDFC life
HDFC’s claim, “Poor Air Quality can lead to Cancer”, is misleading by exaggeration. The ad uses the word “can” instead of the word “may”, creating a fear in the consumer’s mind. It plays with viewer’s lack of knowledge and is likely to lead to disappointment in the minds of consumers.
Crocin 650
Crocin’s claim, “Its fast release formula starts working in just five minutes”, doesn’t have any evidence to support the statement.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
The “Best Camera Phone” claim which is clearly attributed to a review by Hindustan Times, is false, misleading and exploits consumers’ lack of knowledge.
