The war between FMCG giants Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Procter & Gamble (P&G) intensified with the two seeking legal redressal alleging foul play on detergent powder advertisements.
HUL, which has been asked by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to respond to complaints of "disparaging" the rival product Tide in its Rin ad, got a boost from an order by Madras High Court directing P&G to modify its Tide ad.
Meanwhile, P&G moved Calcutta High Court yesterday against HUL for putting out a "disparaging" advertisement against Tide.
"We are aware of the disparaging advertisement on air against Tide Naturals and have filed a case against the same," a Procter and Gamble spokesperson said.
"The matter is currently being heard in the court and we are not in a position to comment on the outcome," the spokesperson added.
HUL's Rin TV commercial, which went on air on February 26, claims that it is better than Tide, with a tagline 'Tide se kahin behatar safedi de Rin'.
Until now, it has been rare for Indian companies to compare rival brands by naming and/or attacking them directly in advertisements.
According to the latest January report by Morgan Stanley, Rin has lost as much as 25 basis points in market share while P&G's Tide has gained 60 basis points. HUL has already reduced prices of Rin to arrest the decline.
In its case HUL has challenged P&G's claim in an advertisement that Tide contains natural ingredients like lemon and chandan. The court on March 1 passed an order asking P&G to modify the ad.
