Fena Ltd has scored one more victory over Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL) as the Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) has asked HLL to either withdraw or modify its advertisement for the `Vim Dishwash Bar' and `Vim Ultra Dishwash Cleaning Powder'.
On a complaint filed by Fena Ltd, the consumer complaints council (CCC) of the Asci concluded that the visual depiction of lemon juice (drops) and the related claim of `lemon power' was not true and was misleading.
The CCC considered the complaint of Fena at its meeting held on April 22, 1999 where it also viewed the television commercials for these two products. Based on the decision of the CCC, the Asci upheld the complaint stating that the advertisement contravened chapters 1.1 and 1.4 of the code.
Last year Fena had filed a complaint with the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) that Wheel detergent powder and cakes did not have Lemon content in them.
HLL had then launched a revised commercial for `Wheel' in January, 1999.
The revised Wheel advertising and packs say that `Wheel' has `Cleaning Power' (Safai ka power) and `Lemon Perfume' (Nimbu khushbu).
This year, in February 1999, Fena had targeted `Vim' and launched a complaint against HLL with the Asci accusing it of false and misleading advertisement for `Vim Dishwash Bar' and `Vim Ultra Dishwash Cleaning Powder.
The Fena complaint had alleged that the claims of HLL that these two products_Vim Dishwash Bar and Vim Ultra Dishwash Cleaning Powder_ contain lemon or ingredients thereof and that the lemon or contents thereof are main performing ingredients in their brands which deliver the product promise of cleaning utensils are false and misleading.
According to the complaint, HLL has been making these claims on the wrapper of `New Vim Dishwash Bar' on Polybag of Vim Ultra Dishwash Cleaning Powder, in Television commercials, on their posters and on their streamers.
Fena had contended that these two products did not contain any lemon or ingredients thereof, and in absence of lemon or ingredients thereof, the same cannot be performing product function as claimed and promised.
