Ariel laundry detergents may "remove tough stains better in one wash", but its record with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is not as squeaky clean.
Ariel was recently ordered to withdraw one of its television advertisements - which it has done - after the body found that its claims of superiority over other brands was not properly substantiated.
The complainant was Unilever, the company that manufactures South Africa's best-sellers Omo and Sunlight as well as Skip and Surf, and this was not the first time the companies have clashed.
In the past two years, the owners of Omo have laid six advertising complaints against Ariel, owned by Procter & Gamble (P&G), with a 50% success rate - three of the complaints were upheld or partially upheld.
In Unilever's latest complaint it said that Ariel claimed its Ariel Auto outperformed Omo in fighting “food greasy stains” without backing up the claim.
In the advertisement, local television personality Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu, journalists and a lab technician put Ariel Auto to the test.
The technician smears solutions of clay, baby food, liquid butter and yoghurt onto pieces of white fabric before putting them into tubular containers with water and two detergents – Ariel and "the best-selling detergent". After a good shake the cloths are displayed and Ariel has removed more of the stains than the other detergent.
Unilever said though it is not clear which competitor detergent is used, Omo is the top-selling auto washing powder in the country while Sunlight is the top seller in hand wash detergents.
Unilever said that most of the staining agents used are not really “food greasy stains” and that while the advertised product is intentended for automatic washing machine use, no washing machine features in the commercial. The ASA agreed.
Unilever is not only monitoring its competitor on television and billboards. A Facebook advertisement led to a complaint in December last year.
Ariel thanked users for “helping us reach 50 000 fans who have switched to Ariel in 1 wash,” but Unilever said there was no proof that Ariel's 50 000 Facebook fans had switched to the product in one wash or at all.
Unilver was victorious but on other occassions it has had to swallow defeat.
In June 2013, when it complained about Ariel's claim that it “removes many tough stains better in 1 wash than the best-selling washing powder”, the ASA dismissed its complaint because Ariel had scientifically substantiated its claims.
Ariel, which says it respects the ASA's rulings, believes it is creating healthy competition for Unilever's detergents.
“Since Ariel entered the market a little over two years ago, South Africans have more choice in the laundry category than ever before, and the Ariel market share has steadily climbed to the 12% where it is today,” said Jeanne du Plessis, P&G Fabric Care Communications Manager.
Unilever failed to respond to requests for comment made over several days.
Playing dirty in washing powder 'war'
Ariel laundry detergents may "remove tough stains better in one wash", but its record with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is not as squeaky clean.
Ariel was recently ordered to withdraw one of its television advertisements - which it has done - after the body found that its claims of superiority over other brands was not properly substantiated.
The complainant was Unilever, the company that manufactures South Africa's best-sellers Omo and Sunlight as well as Skip and Surf, and this was not the first time the companies have clashed.
In the past two years, the owners of Omo have laid six advertising complaints against Ariel, owned by Procter & Gamble (P&G), with a 50% success rate - three of the complaints were upheld or partially upheld.
In Unilever's latest complaint it said that Ariel claimed its Ariel Auto outperformed Omo in fighting “food greasy stains” without backing up the claim.
In the advertisement, local television personality Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu, journalists and a lab technician put Ariel Auto to the test.
The technician smears solutions of clay, baby food, liquid butter and yoghurt onto pieces of white fabric before putting them into tubular containers with water and two detergents – Ariel and "the best-selling detergent". After a good shake the cloths are displayed and Ariel has removed more of the stains than the other detergent.
Unilever said though it is not clear which competitor detergent is used, Omo is the top-selling auto washing powder in the country while Sunlight is the top seller in hand wash detergents.
Unilever said that most of the staining agents used are not really “food greasy stains” and that while the advertised product is intentended for automatic washing machine use, no washing machine features in the commercial. The ASA agreed.
Unilever is not only monitoring its competitor on television and billboards. A Facebook advertisement led to a complaint in December last year.
Ariel thanked users for “helping us reach 50 000 fans who have switched to Ariel in 1 wash,” but Unilever said there was no proof that Ariel's 50 000 Facebook fans had switched to the product in one wash or at all.
Unilver was victorious but on other occassions it has had to swallow defeat.
In June 2013, when it complained about Ariel's claim that it “removes many tough stains better in 1 wash than the best-selling washing powder”, the ASA dismissed its complaint because Ariel had scientifically substantiated its claims.
Ariel, which says it respects the ASA's rulings, believes it is creating healthy competition for Unilever's detergents.
“Since Ariel entered the market a little over two years ago, South Africans have more choice in the laundry category than ever before, and the Ariel market share has steadily climbed to the 12% where it is today,” said Jeanne du Plessis, P&G Fabric Care Communications Manager.
Unilever failed to respond to requests for comment made over several days.
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