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Kohinoor Mandal

`We wrote to the ASCI giving details of the case. Now it is up to the ASCI to react. We do feel that the controversial ad certainly does not reflect the right spirit.'

KOLKATA, March 18

THE Tea Board has moved the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) against manufacturers of the branded salt, Dandi Namak, alleging that advertisements related to the product have affected the interests of the tea industry.

The tea industry is also likely to take up the matter with the television companies that are airing the commercials concerned. Industry sources said that the owners of leading tea brands are not too happy with the advertisement of Dandi salt.

According to these sources, the objectionable advertisement asks consumers to drink less tea and give preference to salt instead. This apart, the advertisement has also valued a cup of tea at Rs 2 which, tea industry officials feel, have tarnished the image of Indian tea.

Mr Basudev Banerjee, Deputy Chairman of the Tea Board, told Business Line that the matter had been brought to the notice of the ASCI about two months ago. However, the company concerned had continued to persist with the commercials.

Mr Banerjee explained: "We wrote to the ASCI giving details of the case. Now it is up to the ASCI to react. We can hardly do anything further on this matter. But we do feel that the controversial ad certainly does not reflect the right spirit,'' Mr Banerjee said.

Instead, he suggested that individual tea companies or a tea industry association could file a suit against the producer of Dandi salt. "If they can substantiate the amount of losses they are incurring due to the advertisement in question, they can file a civil case'', he said.

The tea industry, under the stewardship of the Tea Board, a few months ago initiated a generic tea promotion campaign called Piyo More Chai. However, the total ad budget is a minuscule Rs 18 crore and is spread over three years. The campaign aims to give a boost to domestic tea consumption and inculcate the habit of tea-drinking among the younger generations.

Meanwhile, Mr P.O. Desai, Chairman of the Federation of All India Tea Traders Association (FAITTA), has written to the Tea Board chairman, Mr N.K. Das, requesting him to take action against the producers of Dandi Namak because their commercial had "tarnished the image'' of the tea industry.

He urged Mr Das to call a meeting of leading tea companies, whose electronic ad budget was more than Rs 150 crore. "Mr Desai feels that if tea companies adopt a strategy to impress upon TV channels the need to terminate the campaign, the television companies will definitely advise the makers of Dandi salt to modify their advertisement'', a FAITTA official said.

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