NOV – 15: TALL TALK
Not our cup of tea
Actress Shraddha Kapoor suggests an easy and healthy way of losing weight with no side effects. In the TVC of Lipton Green Tea, she says that (regular) tea with milk and sugar has 60 calories while drinking Lipton Green Tea you could ‘lose up to 2 kgs in 3 months.’ The disclaimer in fine print reads, ‘Green Tea contains zero calories, when had without milk or sugar…’ Thus the weight loss is not due to Lipton Green Tea but having tea without milk and sugar. We reported this TVC to Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
ASCI upheld our complaint as the advertisement contravened Chapters I.4, I.5 and IV.1. (b) and (d) of the ASCI Code. It concluded that consumers could be misled that the weight loss benefit is due to Lipton Green Tea. Also, the disclaimer was not in the same language as the voice-over which contravenes ASCI’s guidelines for supers. Moreover, the advertiser admitted that the words ‘up to’ in the claim ‘lose up to 2 kgs in 3 months’ are missing. ASCI has advised the advertiser to withdraw or modify the TVC.
Wake up and smell the tea
