An advisory has been issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to remind the advertisers that making falsified COVID-related claims in advertisements is a punishable offense. The provisions of the Consumer Protection Act were brought by the advisory which came into effect on July 24, 2020. This came to be to take actions if there are violations of consumer rights, False or misleading advertisements, and unfair trade practices. Consumers have been grappling with a global crisis due to the COVID pandemic since 2020 according to a report. They doing their best to find any means that assures immunity from the diseases in such uncertainties.
According to the notice the false claims are made so that their products can be sold by taking the advantage of the ongoing pandemic in India. Imprisonment that could extent to 2-years and affine that could extend to Rs 10 Lakhs is the punishment for the violators of the rights. Taking different products that are unrelated to health and wellness, still claim to protect us from Coronavirus is what is depicted from the advisory. Anti-bacterial paint, virus-killing plywood, germ-killing fruit and vegetable wash, anti-viral shirts, anti-bacterial mattresses, and immunity-boosting ice cream and haldi milk were the ads that were launched last year. Prabhakar Mundkur who was a former adman and now a brand strategy consultant said that consumers are more likely to be interested in propositions nowadays, which is the reason why falsified products can kill 99.9% of germs will prompt them to pick up the product. According to him, brand trust is a phenomenon a fairly nebulous one.
KV Sreedhar who is a veteran adman pointed out that in the old times the advertisements were conducted to sell the products by making claims to attract the customers. He also said that the brands should be aware of the new reality of the world in which they are releasing the advertisements. Thanks to Internet access the consumers have heightened awareness. They can know the ingredients of the products on Google. Right now all comparative advertising is factual and now people are looking for many ways to show that their products deliver results.
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