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Order Against Deceptive Marketing Practices
The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has imposed a fine of Rs60 million on Unilever Pakistan for airing deceptive claims in television commercials promoting its hygiene and cleansing products, ‘Lifebuoy Soap’ and ‘Lifebuoy Hand Wash’. The fine follows proceedings related to a show-cause notice issued to Unilever for alleged violations of Section 10 of the Competition Act of 2010, which prohibits deceptive marketing tactics based on misleading or false claims.
CCP’s Mandate and Enforcement
Enforcing prohibition against deceptive marketing is a core mandate of the CCP. This mandate aims to protect consumers from misleading information and safeguard competitors from anti-competitive behavior that could adversely affect their business interests.
Investigation and Complaint
The CCP acted on a complaint filed by Reckitt Benckiser concerning claims made by Unilever regarding its Lifebuoy products. The inquiry focused on claims such as “100% guaranteed protection from germs”, “World’s No. 1 germ protection soap”, and “99.9% germ protection in 10 seconds”. These claims were found to be misleading, with disclaimers about them printed in tiny fonts that were barely noticeable.
Compliance Report Directive
In addition to the monetary fine, the CCP has directed Unilever Pakistan to submit a compliance report within 30 days to ensure adherence to advertising standards and regulations.
