Advertising watchdogs have got hot under the collar over a TV ad claiming Unilever’s Sure deodorant was superior to rival Nivea.
The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint by Nivea owner Beiersdorf over the ad for Sure Invisible Black+White.
The advert showed a bar chart headed Yellow Stain Effectiveness, and showed a higher reading for the Sure product compared with Nivea Black & White antiperspirant. It also carried the claims: “Trust the experts with our superior black and white protection” and “New Sure Invisible Black plus White, superior to Nivea against yellow stains”.
Beiersdorf challenged whether the claim that Sure was superior to Nivea Black & White could be substantiated.
Unilever explained the ad represented a new formula of Sure Invisible Black+White that it said offered improved yellow stains protection compared with the previous formula. It added that independent testing had shown the product offered better anti-yellow stains protection compared with Nivea Invisible Black & White.
But the ASA concluded the claim could not be substantiated, and said Unilever would have needed to demonstrate that users of its product were likely to notice a difference to the level of staining on their clothes compared to its rival’s product.
It ruled the ad must not appear again in its current form.
No comments yet