The Hindu Business Line : Under ASCI scanner, HUL withdraws three TV commercials

The ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India) has hauled up Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) and made the FMCG major discontinue three of its TVCs (television commercials) for its Lux, Fair & Lovely and Red Label Natural Care Tea brands for the period between April and June this year.

According to an ASCI report for the April-June quarter published recently, Domex and Pureit Water Purifier are some of the other HUL brands that have come under the ASCI scanner as the council believes the company has made unsubstantiated claims in these ads.

In the case of the animated Lux ad featured on Cartoon Network, the Consumer Complaints Council felt that the contents and depiction of visuals in the cartoon format, aired on the children’s channel, were offensive to the generally accepted standards of public decency.

Copying the ads of its competitors was cited as the reason for discontinuing the Fair & Lovely multivitamin TVC. According to the complaint received, “The general layout, visual presentation and look and feel of this portion of the TVC is very similar to the TVC of Garnier Light Matte. The Fair & Lovely TVC is targeting the Garnier Light Matte product and the key benefit it communicates via its main claims.”

Not substantiating its claims made in the TVC for its Red Label Natural Care Tea brand was the reason ASCI cited for telling HUL to discontinue that ad.

In the TVC, an old woman is shown comforting a young boy with her sweater as he is feeling cold, with a message about developing greater immunity. While HUL has requested a review of the Consumer Complaint Council decision, ASCI has temporarily suspended the airing of this particular TVC.

The other claims made for brand such as Domex (thick disinfectants are better than thin ones to kill germs) also appear to be unwarranted and misleading, according to the complaint.

The claim that “thin disinfectants are so weak” was not substantiated, according to ASCI.

Even the TVC for its newly launched Pureit Water Purifier was barred by ASCI for unsubstantiated claims about removing cancer-causing pesticides.

In fact, the market leader in water purifiers, Eureka Forbes (Aquaguard Total), has also been hauled up for false claims about purification systems guarding the liver, bones and digestive system.

Other FMCG companies found making unsubstantiated claims included Britannia Industries (Tiger Banana Biscuits claiming to be full of bananas) and Pepsico India (Lays potato chips being the world’s No. 1 Potato Chip and free of cholesterol).

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