Tag: advertising
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Palm Oil Targeted by Consumer Watchdog’s Viral Video
Timed to coincide with PepsiCo’s limited reintroduction of Crystal Pepsi soft drinks, SumOfUs has launched a viral video campaign to draw attention to its allegations against the palm-oil industry. The video—which spoofs PepsiCo’s 1992 Super Bowl spot—has garnered media attention as well as more than 875,000 views on YouTube. In particular, SumOfUs reportedly claims that…
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Izze Drinks Mislead with Preservative-Free and Dietary Guidelines Claims, Consumer Alleges
A consumer has filed a purported class action against PepsiCo and subsidiary Izze Beverage Co. alleging Izze carbonated juice drinks are misleadingly marketed as containing “no preservatives” despite the presence of citric or ascorbic acid. Lindberg v. PepsiCo Inc., No. 16-6569 (S.D.N.Y., filed August 19, 2016). The complaint also challenges Izze’s claim that each bottle…
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Ad Board Recommends Kellogg Adjust Fruit Snacks Packaging
The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) has advised Kellogg Co. to revise the packaging for Fruit Flavored Snacks, recommending against statements that the product is “made with real fruit.” The front of the package featured cartoon characters and the statement “made with real fruit” superimposed on the image of an apple. The side panel clarified…
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WLF Files Amicus Brief Urging Ninth Circuit to Strike San Francisco SSB Warning Law
The Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) has filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals arguing the court should enjoin a San Francisco statute requiring advertisements of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to disclose health warnings related to their consumption. Am. Beverage Assoc. v. City of San Francisco, Nos. 16-16072 and 16-16073 (9th Cir., amicus…
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Bud Light “Caucus” Super Bowl Ad Not Lewd, Beer Institute Review Finds
Following a consumer complaint, the Beer Institute has reviewed Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC’s Super Bowl ad featuring comedians Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer discussing the “biggest caucus in the country” and determined the ad does not violate the industry group’s marketing standards. Under the standards, “advertising and marketing materials should not contain languages or images that…
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UK Advertising Watchdog Censures Special K® General Health Claims
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld two complaints alleging that advertisements touting Kellogg Co.’s Special K® products as “full of goodness” and “nutritious” violated broadcast (BCAP) and non-broadcast (CAP) advertising codes for food, food supplements and associated health claims. The complaints targeted a TV ad for Special K® porridge that included supported health…
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Swedish Study Highlights Potential Flaws in fMRI Findings
Swedish researchers have warned that the software packages used to analyze the results of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) contain flaws that increase the chance of a false positive by as much as 70 percent. Anders Eklund, “Cluster failure: Why fMRI inferences for spatial extent have inflated false-positive rates,” PNAS, June 2016. For more than…
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Julia Child’s Estate Files Publicity Suit Against Airbnb
The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts has filed a lawsuit against Airbnb Inc. alleging the home-sharing company used Child’s name and likeness without permission in an advertised promotion. Julia Child Found. For Gastronomy & Culinary Arts v. Airbnb Inc., No. 16-2626 (Cal. Super. Ct., Santa Barbara Cty., filed June 22, 2016).…