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- Dis-Chem’s advert claiming that the flu vaccine can "stop" the spread of flu has been found to be misleading by the ad regulator.
- Dis-Chem used a stop sign in the advert to convey the message “stop the flu”, which some consumers might interpret literally.
- According to the complainant, the ad will likely make consumers think the flu vaccine can effectively stop the spread of flu, which is not the case.
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Dis-Chem has found itself on the wrong side of local advertising regulations after its in-store advert, suggesting that the flu vaccine can stop the spread of flu, was found to be misleading by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB).
The complainants submitted to the ARB, "This advert claims that flu vaccines reliably stop the flu. That is not a claim they can defend. It may induce people to get the vaccine on a false pretence. It may also cause people to get the vaccine and then behave as if they cannot get or transfer the flu.”
In its defence, Dis-Chem argued that the advert did not claim that the vaccine would reliably stop flu.
According to the pharmaceutical company, the stop sign on the poster does not suggest that the vaccine will stop the spread of flu. Instead, it was used to draw attention to the poster and advertise that the flu vaccine is available in stores.
Dis-Chem further stated that the stop sign and the word flu are simply a colloquialism or an expression in the campaign to promote better health.
The company added that the Department of Health promoted the widely available vaccine and said that the behaviour of consumers once they had had the flu vaccine was the complainant’s opinion and “has no bearing on the poster”.
ARB ruling
According to the ARB, one should consider whether a hypothetical reasonable person would expect the flu vaccine to totally prevent the flu simply by looking at the advert – which it clearly won’t.
The ARB noted that flu was a serious virus that killed between 6 000 and 11 000 South Africans annually.
Another undeniable fact was that many South Africans had basic literacy, while many were uneducated about vaccines, and their efficacy and limitations.
For this reason, “the execution of this advertisement could have dangerous, albeit unintended, consequences”, said the ad regulator.
This is because the word "stop" suggests coming to an end or ceasing to happen. A more appropriate phrase to use in the ad would be something like “Fight flu”, according to the regulator.
An educated consumer wouldn’t have difficulty understanding the advert, but other consumers might misinterpret what is being communicated, ARB said.
Since the target market was not the educated population only, Dis-Chem had the responsibility to take into account lower education levels and vaccine ignorance among some consumers.
“In this context, it is extremely undesirable for consumers to be 'over promised' on the efficacy of vaccines, as this may lead to increased hesitancy when the vaccine does not prove to be 100% effective.
“It is noted that the most literal and obvious interpretation of the advertisement, by a less informed audience, is that the vaccine will stop the flu. This is, of course, not the case,” said the ad regulator.
For these reasons, the ARB found the contents of the advert to be misleading and ordered that Dis-Chem withdraw the advert as soon as possible.
