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ASCI upholds complaints against 17 out of 25 ads, during July-August 2011
During the month of July and August 2011, ASCI's CCC upheld complaints against 17 advertisements from theFMCG, educational institutes, and theautomobile sectors.
During July and August 2011, the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) upheld complaints against 17 advertisements from various sectors such aseducation, health, FMCG, and restricted products, but did not uphold complaints against eight advertisements.
In the automobile sector, the advertisement of Maruti Suzuki's Estilo Magic, was upheld due to the fact that the mileage stated in the ad was found to be false as it did not tally with the actual mileage the car covered .
General Motors India's TVC of Chevrolet Beat Diesel adopted the tagline of "India's most fuel-efficient car", and tried to justify the same by a comment in an article published in the August 2011 issue of Autocar India. Also, the tagline used was the same as that used by Indica eV2 of being "India's most fuel-efficient car". The complaint was therefore upheld due to plagarism and false claim.
In the case of Bata India's print campaign for Weinbrenner, the advertisement was found to be misleading as the advertisement did not clearly state all material conditions to enable the consumer to obtain a true and fair view of his prospects in such activities.
The complaints received against Hindustan Unilever's Pureit Water Purifier and Triply Stainless Steel Cookware from Glen Appliances were both upheld as these misled the consumer and created false impressions.
The advertisements in the education sector by T.I.M.E. - CAT' 11/12 Career Launcher, and Team Satyam were upheld as the claims that they made were not backed by comparative data and were found to be misleading.
The claimthat Hindustan Unilever's Dove Damage Therapy TVC made was that Dove is the most recommended shampoo by Indian women. The complaint against this particular TVC was upheld as a claim such as this needs to be substantiated with independent technical data.
Titan Industries Fast Track Watches advertisement to promote 20 per cent discount offer was upheld as the advertisement was considered to be offensive to women, and damaging to young minds, as it portrayed a derogatory image of women. The CCC concluded that to convey a simple message in such a lewd, indecent and obscene way was objectionable.