Consumers must be protected from deceptive adds

CONSUMERS are increasingly becoming helpless victims of false information from innumerable advertisements in various platforms. Both private and government firms are routinely exploiting the people in varying situation taking full advantage of colourful advertisements in print and electronic media and wayside adds. And similar to many other sectors there are no authorities to monitor their claim and verify consumers’ objections. Particularly, cheating consumers on various product labels has become rampant and only growing unchecked.

For instance, the label of a popular brand of Soyabean oil certified by the BSTI claimed this particular cooking oil boosts immunity, strengthens teeth and bones, and resists osteoporosis, depression and night blindness. The label also boost the oil prolongs ‘youth of consumers’, ‘strengthens their hair’ and so on. The BSTI certification mark on the label makes the claims credible to buyers though the BSTI does not take the responsibility of its label. Responding to the claims BSTI certification wing director said quality claims printed on the label were manufacturers’ responsibility. However, that doesn’t mean the manufacturer will print whatever he or she desires and market the product undeterred. It does not take rocket science to understand that cooking oil cannot be a medicine with medicinal attributes, – but the information provided in the label is more of a misleading and cheating strategy.

The reality is: Bangladesh is possibly among few countries that have no effective law to protect the vulnerable consumers from the deceptive traps laid by sellers using the handy tool of impressive advertisement.

Doctors and communication experts are also of the opinion that unregulated advertisements seriously impair consumers’ interests with its poor record of product standardisation and an equally poor record of enforcement of the law.

We must say Bangladesh Advertising Agencies Association must not mislead people and display true information based on some code of ethics. Advertisements have become an integral and unavoidable part of our social marketing. It promotes products, makes people aware of variable choice and add to socio-economic progress. But its negative impacts are also many by way of disinformation and false projection of products.

Such cheating must stop and BSTI must be highly proactive to detect false claims about products quality and ingredients that produce the product to protect people from being misled. The law enforcers also should play their expected role in this respect. Our market can’t be open to exploit by dishonest people as they wish.