ASCI upholds Marico's complaint against rival over 'misleading' ads

Now all the ads of Athena Life Sciences that manufactures Hair for Sure will be modified

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has upheld all complaints against Ahmedabad-based Athena Life Sciences for making misleading claims in ads for its brand Hair For Sure. The latter is a hair tonic that competes directly with Marico's Livon Hair Gain.

In three separate orders, all thirteen claims made by Hair For Sure was upheld by ASCI recently. The regulator's move  to uphold  Marico's complaint will impact not only ads, but all brand communication across platforms as well as product packaging and labeling of Hair for Sure. This is the first time that Hair for Sure will be subjected to a modification of this kind, persons in the know said.

The trend of misleading claims has been growing in advertising as the pressure to be heard is pushing companies, many of them established players, to make incorrect and unsubstantiated statements in their ads.

In its latest release, ASCI said that for the month of April 2016, complaints against 67 ads out of 141 were upheld by the body. The figure was even higher for the months of February and March 2016, with complaints against as many as 80-90 ads upheld during  the period.

One reason for the growing number of complaints against ads is because ASCI now has made it easy to complain as well as fast-tracked the process of redressal. The Consumer Complaints Council, the core unit set up by the ASCI to redress complaints, now meets at least twice a month to address issues.