If we were to live in the world of advertising, we would never go bald, because there are magical products that has grown hair in just 14 days. Our skin would be flawless and we would win over the love of our life with one enchanting smile and a row full of sparkling teeth. Our kids would be smarter and taller because they drink a particular chocolate drink and our aged will be fighting fit as a result of consuming another health-related product.
It’s no mystery ‘advertising’ had always been aspirational, competitive and known to oversell its product by promising all sort of overnight solutions. But even the wolf of capitalism has its code of conduct and there is only those many mendacities you can claim for your brand.
Recently, the advertising sector wrapped the knuckles of yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s flagship company Patanjali Ayurved. The story goes that the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) slapped a whopping `11 lakh fine on the company for “false and misleading” claims in its advertisements, including its hair oil and washing powder brands. Consumers were being fooled into believing that these wonder products would outstrip its competitors in the market.
Apparently, there were 156 complaints from the customers saying that the products not only failed to live up to their expectations, but also made false claims such as, “mineral oil is carcinogenic in nature and may cause cancer” and “other than Kacchi Ghani process, most of the other edible oils are made using neurotoxin hexagon solvent extraction process.” Such advertisements put down other brands and make unsubstantiated claims that are not factually verified.
When the number of Patanjali Ayurved shops tripled, one was a little surprised at the growth rate of its products. These charges are bound to affect the franchises’ success.
This isn’t the first instance where ASCI has taken to task brands for false advertisements. There are 18 instances where the ASCI had to step in because the brands/companies were peddling mediocre products, using wild claims like “scientifically proven” with “guaranteed results.”
Volkswagen (VW) was among those found guilty of claiming to promote clean diesel via their vehicles. It was revealed that VW had been fudging the results on their emission tests for almost seven years! Conscientious people bought the vehicles thinking they were environment-friendly cars. A $61 billion case was slapped against VW for deceiving the public.
Danone faced a similar suite for claiming that their Activia brand yogurt had special bacterial agents. A Cleveland court ruled that there was no scientific proof of this. Similarly, Red Bull was slammed for its energy drink’s funny but totally misleading ads wherein one grew wings after drinking it. In India, it’s Complan, Kellogg’s, Boost and Horlicks that came under fire. While Complan claimed its consumption makes kids twice as tall, Kellogg’s declared it had slimming qualities, and Boost and Horlicks claimed of increasing kids’ energy and smartness. These companies, along with 34 others were sent notices by Food Safety Standards Authority of India.
Representatives from the Public Health Foundation of India and ASCI believe that customers and consumers are made fools on a regular basis by ads that claim to have research and science behind it. Ad gurus naturally defend themselves by saying that ‘consumers are smart enough’ to spot an ad with exaggerating qualities. However, why is the onus on the customer to spot the lie? It appears, these days it pays to read the fine print.