Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited was pulled by ASCI for not mentioning that 7,00,00 hours of content on 49-inch Mi LED Smart TV 4A Pro was chargeable
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has pulled Xiaomi, Voltas, Vivo and TCL Communications for their misleading ads in India. While Vivo and TCL Communications have been pulled up for misleading smartphone advertisements, ASCI has pulled Xiaomi for a misleading advertisement for one of its smart TVs. Tata owned Voltas has been pulled by the council for a misleading advertisement for one of its refrigerators.
ASCI’s official statement read, “During the month of February 2019, ASCI investigated complaints against 243 advertisements, of which the advertisers ensured corrective action for 63 advertisements once they received the complaints from ASCI. The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI upheld complaints against 145 advertisements out of 180 advertisements evaluated by them.”
Xiaomi
Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited was pulled by ASCI for not mentioning that 7,00,00 hours of content on 49-inch Mi LED Smart TV 4A Pro was chargeable. ASCI official statement read, “The website advertisement’s claims, “7,00,000 hours of content on Patchwall” and “7,00,000+ hours of content” were misleading by omission and implication, that it is accessible free of charge. The product feature offering 7,00,00 hours of content should have been highlighted as chargeable.”
Vivo
Vivo Mobiles India was pulled by the council on account of misleading by exaggeration in advertisements for V11 Pro smartphone. ASCI’s official statement read, “The advertisement’s the claim, “Dual Rear Camera with Dual Pixel Technology”, was not substantiated, and misleading by exaggeration. The advertiser did not provide any technical data or test reports for Vivo V11 Pro having feature of dual rear camera with good picture quality. ”
Voltas
Voltas, in one its website advertisements had claimed that vegetables remain fresh even after 30 days in one its refrigerators. ASCI, pulling the company for the same advertisement said, “The advertisement’s claim, “Vegetables remain Fresh even after 30 days”
was inadequately substantiated, and is misleading by exaggeration. Additionally, the hold duration of the disclaimers in the TVC contravened Clause 4 (X) of ASCI Guidelines for Disclaimers.”
TCL Communication
TCL communication was also pulled by the council for misleading BlackBerry Key 2 and BlackBerry Evolve advertisements. ASCI said, “The advertisement’s claim, “Most secure android smart phone”, was not substantiated with comparative data to prove that the advertiser’s smart phone was more secure or reliable to use than any other android smart phone brands, or through any third-party validation. The claim is misleading by exaggeration.”
