Swach joins battle against Pureit

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Eureka Forbes have fought pitched battles, including court cases, over the years to carve out a bigger share of the Rs 300-crore water storage market in India. But now, a new battlefront has opened up in the category — between Tata Chemicals and HUL.

One year ago, HUL had circulated a leaflet comparing its own water purifier brand Pureit with Tata Chemicals' Swach and even carrying pictures of the two products with a tick mark against Pureit and a cross mark against Swach products. Following a complaint filed by Tata Chemicals, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) asked HUL to withdraw the leaflets.

While a HUL spokesperson said the leaflets were withdrawn, Tata Chemicals said the pamphlets were still in circulation. “This is a smear campaign against the brand," officials said. ASCI officials declined to comment on the issue.

HUL executives said the leaflets were circulated following claims by Tata Chemicals that Swach met “The US Environment Protection Agency standards”. “They subsequently changed that to ‘tested for US EPA standards’. What does that mean? Our attempt was to clarify to consumers what the factual position was as far as the two brands were concerned. ASCI's decision was based on comparative advertising. We have appealed to ASCI asking them to review their decision.”