Examples of Fraudulent Advertisements

Speed Energy Drink

Speed Energy is one of the most popular drink in Bangladesh. It is a product of Akij Foods.

It contains methylbenzene, vitamin B and medicinal properties, including caffeine. Other

ingredients include acidic water, acai and taurine, as well as a variety of ginseng. It also contains
high levels of sugar. It is marketed by the control of artificial sweeteners.

Speed Energy Drink’s tagline is ‘Hebbi Energy’ which doesn’t really go with their quality of
product and the ingredients. The ingredients they use usually destroys normal appetite, creates
sleep disturbances and also increases the chance of tooth ache rather than providing energy.

So, people kind of feel that this advertisement is way too fraudulent than normal.
 Horlicks

Horlicks is a sweet malted milk hot drink powder. It has been a huge favorite to the kids because
of its taste. Horlicks states that it combines the natural goodness and trusted wholesomeness of
cereals and milk to deliver the promise of science to provide health benefits for the entire family.
They have also stated that it has been clinically proven by scientists around the world. Most of
the parents also think the same.
The main ingredient is a mixture of wheat flour and malted wheat, followed by malted barley.
The other ingredients include dried whey, calcium carbonate, dried skimmed milk etc.

Horlicks states that it helps a child to grow as taller, stronger and sharper. Consumers are
somehow convinced by this fraudulent ad as well. Whereas, the children consuming Horlicks
haven’t been observed to grow as taller, stronger and sharper. Rather, it just enhances the taste of
milk.
Nowadays, there is an advertisement of Horlicks that says one glass of it contain nutrients equal
to 1 orange, 1.5 equal cup of milk and 3 spinaches. According to observations, such
advertisements are nothing but fraudulent because it actually doesn’t contain such nutrients that
helps a child develop by that much. These are just to manipulate the consumers to grab better
markets. Horlicks has been breaking some certain laws by doing such fraudulent marketing.
 Pran Drinko

Pran Drinko is a fruit drink that has been introduced into Bangladeshi market very recently. It
has become a consumer favorite after it came into the market mainly because of its floating jelly
inside the drink. Accroding to Pran, is the fruit drink with real tastes of Mango, Litchi,
Pineapple, Strawberry.
It contains Sodium, Carbohydrates/Glucides, Vitamin C and 100% real fruits.

The tagline says that it contains the taste of real litchi. In true sense, in some observations it has
been seen that a very minor amount of fruits/fruit pulps contain in this product. People tend to
like it because of its taste but Pran has been following the fraudulent way of marketing by not
letting the customer aware of the actual fact. They are breaking some certain law by dint of such
advertising.
Many other Fruit Drinks follow the same way of marketing which is rather a bad way of
introducing a product to the consumers.
 Frutika Juice

Akij Food and Beverage Ltd, a concern of Akij Group launched three varieties of fruit juice
named 'Frutika' back in 2008. Three varieties of juice -- mango, red grape and red orange were
introduced back then and it is still somewhat good to the consumers.
According to AFBL, Frutika mango drink is made with treated water, mango pulp, refined sugar,
citric acid, and sodium citrate. Frutika Mango Juice is 100% fresh, tasty and healthy.

The tagline of Fruitka Juice says that it is the only pure mango juice in Bangladesh because it is
the only non-preservative drink of the country that is made with Aseptic Technology. They have
also stated that it is made from naturally ripen mangoes from the gardens of Akij Agro.
According to some observations and some recent surveys, it has been found out that the IC50
value of Frutika is 0.678 mg/ml. It means a higher amount of chemical is used in Frutika that
shows us that Frutika is more than chemicals than pure mango.
So, Frutika has been following the fraudulent marketing like many other juice brands.
 Kool Body Spray

Kool Body Spray is a product of Square Toiletries Ltd. Square Toiletries Ltd. Has stated that in
any mood or occasion, use any of the 6 variants of Kool Body Spray. The musky-fresh fragrance
of Kool Deodorant Body Spray will keep the body perfumed and feeling alive for a long time.
The Deodorant contains Butane, Propane, Alcohol Denat, Isopropyl, Myristate, Propylene
Glycol, Triclosan, Perfume. It is not much popular among consumers in Bangladesh but not a
bad deal too as a cheaper deodorant.

The tagline of Kool Body Spray says, ‘Why Search? Impress with Kool Body Spray’

Almost every one of us know that body sprays don't attract people of the opposite gender but
everyone who says they haven't tried it would be lying. Even so they consume it because they at
times smells good. But this advertisement is quite fake and doesn’t really make sense. Such
advertisements fraud at various times to grab consumer attentions but fail rapidly.
 Sunsilk Shampoo

Sunsilk Shampoo is a product of Unilever Bangladesh. Unilever has stated in their website that
with Sunsilk Stunning Black Shine, one can get long lasting shine from day to night. It prevents
dullness and restores a healthy lustrous look.
It is enriched with amla pearl complex, the formula moisturizes and nourishes a black hair
making it look fuller and shinier.

The tagline says, ’Get shiny hair up to 24 hours.’ It means after using it once a day, the hair stays
shiny black and silky for a whole day.
After observing some surveys, it has been found out that actually the shininess stays not more
than 5-6 hours. This is an example of fraudulent advertisement. For grabbing consumer
attentions, Sunsilk has been doing such advertisements for a very long time.
 Banglalink 4G

Launched in February 2005, with over 30 million subscribers over a decade, Banglalink was the
catalyst in making mobile telephony an affordable option for consumers in Bangladesh. The
initial success of Banglalink was based on a simple mission: “Bringing mobile telephony to the
masses”, which was the cornerstone of Banglalink’s strategy.
Banglalink is the 3rd largest telecommunication company in Bangladesh. Banglalink 4G was
launched in February 2018. Banglalink has acquired a 4G/LTE license in parallel in order to
launch a high-speed data network.

Banglalink has put on a statement that they are now the fastest mobile network in Bangladesh
according to Ookla Speed Test Awards.
This is a true statement that Banglalink is the fastest 4G mobile network in Bangladesh but in
case of its availability and coverage experience it is very downgraded.
The 4G availability of Banglalink is 75.7% of time. In spite of having fast internet speed, if a
company doesn’t have enough 4G availability then how can the company provide better 4G
services? On the other hand, out of 10, Banglalink scores only 3.1 in case of 4G coverage
experiences. It is very low with respect to other companies. All in all, these problems become a
barrier in spite of having such a better 4G speed.
 Glow & Handsome

Glow & Handsome is a product of Unilever Bangladesh. It is described as the perfect addition to
a man’s skincare routine. Glow & Handsome Rapid Action Facewash and Glow & Handsome
Instant Brightening cream work together with multivitamin boost and rapid action technology to
give men a fresh, bright, and healthy glow.
It contains Water, Palmitic Acid & Stearic Acid, Niacinamide, Glycerine, Isopropyl Myristate,
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Potassium Hydroxide, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Alpha-
isomethyl Ionone, Citral etc.

The tagline says that Glow & Handsome 2x increases skin brightness (from sunlight too).
For a brightening skin, Glycolic Acid is a must that is absent in Glow & Handsome. Besides,
there are other elements such as Kojic Acid, Alpha Arbutin etc. that also helps skin to brighten.
Most of these elements are absent in Glow & Handsome. Still, they have said that it brightens the
skin by 2 times even if there is sunlight. To protect the skin from sunlight, Zinc Oxide is a must
to be present in a facewash/cream. This is also absent in Glow & Handsome.
So, from the above discussions, it can easily be said that Glow & Handsome is following the
fraudulent way of advertising.
 Vim Dishwash Bar

According to Unilever Limited, Vim bar, with the power of 100 lemons removes the toughest
grease and gives you a pleasant cleaning experience with its refreshing lemon fragrance. The
‘Best Ever’ Vim bar was launched in 2016 and is the fastest to remove burnt food stains from
utensils.
It has plastic coating around the bar, the patented polycoat technology, which prevents the bar
from getting soggy, making it last longer than ordinary dishwash bars. Its ingredients are Sodium
LAS, Sodium Carbonate, STPP, Concentrated Lime Juice, CI 74260, Water.

Their tagline states that one Vim Bar contains the power of 100 lemons. According to various
reviews and surveys, most customer’s response has been neutral on it. It has been said that there
is polycoat technology added in Vim bar but still the customer finds it getting soaked very easily
and it also doesn’t smell like lemon. Then how is there supposed to be 100 lemons inside?
It also leaves oiliness in the dishes as said by many customers but Vim stated that the all the oils
and fats are dissolved with just one rub.
This is an example of fraudulent advertisement as they have not been able to meet customer
satisfactions as per their tagline and marketing is concerned.
 Molla Super Salt

It is a product of Molla & Brothers Co. Molla Super Salt is a chemical and arsenic free which
protects from diseases like frustration, depression, mental retardation, poor perception levels,
goiter, abnormal weight gain, decreased fertility, coarse skin, chances of still birth in expectant
mothers, constipation and fatigue due to perfect mixing of Iodine.
Molla Super Salt uses Vacuum Evaporation System. Vacuum evaporation system is the most
advanced technology in salt processing. The entire system from unloading to packaging is fully
automated and the purity of product is 98 - 99% which is recognized by BSTI, BSCIC &
UNICEF.

The tagline represents that this salt helps an individual to enhance his/her brain. With that, it can
also help an individual to get rid of frustration, mental retardation etc. How is this even relevant
to a salt?
This advertisement is completely manipulating an individual to buy this product so that, he/she
can become brilliant and efficient in all the stuffs that he/she does. If such thing had happened,
then people would have left eating nutritious foods and started consuming more and more Molla
Super Salt. In this way, this has turned out to be a fraudulent advertisement.