P&G fined $1 mn in China for photoshopping advertisement

China has slapped a fine of about $1 million on a well-known toothpaste brand owned by Procter & Gamble (P&G) for exaggerating the whitening effect of one of its products, a media report said on Tuesday.

Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce said on Tuesday that the image of the model used in the advertisement of Crest toothpaste was photoshopped, which led the administration to impose a fine of 6.03 million yuan on the American multinational consumer goods company under various provisions of China's advertisement law, China Daily reported.

Under Chinese advertisement law, the photoshop technology can be used in advertisements but not on the main subject, according to Miao Jun, a sub director of the administration.

He gave the example of a car advertisement, in which the landscape is allowed to be photoshopped to present a bluer sky or whiter cloud.

"But in the consumer goods sector, one must pay the price if making a false effect on the main subject," he added.

Along with Crest, the Shanghai administration has also revealed the names of a number of other brands involved in false advertising.