ASCI upholds 11 out of 19 complaints in November 2012

The upheld advertisements pertain to different domains such as health care, personal care and consumer durables.

The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has upheld complaints against 11 out of 19 advertisements in November, 2012 for spreading misleading information through ads. The advertisements pertain to different domains such as health care, personal care and consumer durables.

According to the ASCI, the upheld ads were for brands such as Diwan Chand Imaging & Research Centre, Maruti Herbal, Emami, Amra Remedies, Silvermaple Healthcare, CADD Centre Training, Luminous Water Technologies, Bajaj Electricals, Havells India and Dainik Bhaskar Group.

The advertisement of Signal Cavity Fighter toothpaste was not directed to consumers in India, and hence the complaint against this advertisement was outside the purview of ASCI.

Emami got into trouble for asking in its ads to take Himani Sona Chandi Chyawanprash every day for a strong body and razor sharp mind with the claims "Gold removes toxins to boost immunity power", "Silver activates neurons to enhance memory and concentration", "51 rare herbs protect from weather changes, pollution and general illness". CCC ruled that the advertiser should provide supporting technical submission, details of tests/trials conducted, with comparative data, in substantiation of these claims.

Luminous' TVC stated that Livpure Water Purifier gives "Duniya Ka Sabse Shudh Pani"

. Kent Water Purifier's last campaign was based on the key proposition that Kent provides "Duniya Ka Sabse Shudh Pani". This has been consistently carried out in all its communication material since 2011. According to CCC, Luminous was blatantly copying the same proposition in a gross violation of Kent Water Purifier's brand property.

Bajaj Water Heater's advertisement claimed it as India's No. 1 water heater. It claimed that the heaters come with powerful heating coil that helps heat water 50 per cent faster than any other water heater. These claims were not substantiated with scientific evidence, comparative analysis data, and safety data, along with appropriate support data.

Dainik Bhaskar's ad compared the Patrika unfavourably on the basis of net paid circulation in the city of Bhopal. However, the basis for the claim was not shown in the advertisement The ad was therefore withheld by the CCC.

During the month of November, the CCC also received complaints against seven other advertisements including Emami's 'Himani Fast Relief', Ranbaxy Laboratories' 'Revital Capsules', Cure Spect's 'Eye Care', L'Oreal India's 'Inoa Hair colour', Parle's 'Parle Londonderry', Micromax's 'Ninja 3.5 and Ninja 4', and Dabur India's 'Dabur Chyawanprakash Sugar Free'. However, as these advertisements did not contravene ASCI's codes or guidelines, the complaints were not upheld.