A 'battery' of claims at ASA

Eveready (Pty) Ltd is set to oppose the new Advertising Standards Authority ruling of 12 November 2004 which has allowed Duracell to reinstate its current advertising campaign.

At the end of October this year, the ASA Directorate ruled that the Duracell claim of "lasts up to 6 times longer than ordinary zinc carbon batteries" was unsubstantiated. All advertising featuring this claim had to be withdrawn.

At the time, the ASA ruled that the use of "zinc carbon batteries" was meaningless to consumers and only served to confuse them. It also identified that Duracell had not tendered sufficient substantiation to support its claim, particularly in light of this confusion.

Subsequent to the ruling, the ASA's concerns were addressed by revised documentation supplied by Duracell in order to support its claim.

The new ruling of 12 November stated that although Duracell's claim had been in use for over 20 years, regardless of the period of usage, Duracell should at all times have in its possession current documentary evidence to support its claims.

Eveready proposes to initiate independent tests with a respected and recognised research institution, such as the South African Bureau of Standards, to challenge the ruling.