Soap advert riles competitor
Unilever South Africa has voluntarily withdrawn a television commercial that promotes soap as a germ-fighting product that can be used to treat a sick person.
Image credit: jackmac34 - Pixabay
Reckitt Benckiser, a business competitor, lodged a complaint about the advert with the South African Advertising Authority.
In the advert, a coughing boy and his mother consult a man dressed in a white coat who resembles a doctor. "He's unwell again," the mother says.
"Next time, bathe him with silver," the man says.
Lifebuoy Activ Silver Formula soap is then described as providing protection from stronger germs.
Reckitt Benckiser argued that the soap was a cosmetic product but the emphasis was on its claimed healing or medicinal properties. This was misleading.
Source: Herald