15/02/2017
Why TVS is miffed over a series of Bajaj CT100 ads in Tamil Nadu
A series of advertisements circulated by Bajaj auto dealers for the CT100 motorcycle have recently come under fire for “disparaging” the reputation of TVS products. The campaign released in Tamil Nadu compares the fuel efficiency figures of Bajaj’s 100cc commuter with those of the wildly popular TVS moped, the XL 100. Predictable, the fuel economy of the Bajaj CT100, in these ads, is claimed to be more than twice of the TVS XL 100’s.
TVS Motor Company filed a plea in the Madras High Court to stop Bajaj dealers from releasing these commercials. The High Court order, for now, leans towards TVS and concurs that the Bajaj ad campaign is indeed “disparaging” TVS products. Further, Bajaj auto dealers have been banned from circulating these ads for two weeks as the statements in the advertisement are made “on the basis of false figures”.
The court notes that making exaggerated claims to prove the merit of a product is not questionable (in their words, “puffing up” the product). But dragging down specific competitors explicitly and pointing at faults in their product is “certainly actionable.” What the Bajaj campaign could amount to ‘denigrating’ the rival’s products.
Interestingly, the comparisons made on the Bajaj advertisements aren’t very different from the figures displayed in the CT 100 section of their official website. The tab ‘compare’ takes you to a page where the CT 100’s specifications are pitted against other 100cc bikes – the HF Dawn, the HF Deluxe and the TVS Star Sport. The superstar of that comparison is of course the fuel economy parameter where the Bajaj scores high with an asterisked 99.1kmpl (*As per standard test conditions).
