The Ministry of Commerce announced that a total of 107 million 883 thousand 569 TL administrative fine of 107 million 883 thousand 569 TL was imposed in addition to suspension penalties on 664 files that were found to be deceptive advertisements or unfair commercial practices.
At the 345th meeting of the Advertisement Board on May 16, 2024, 110 of the 119 files examined were found to be in violation of the legislation and suspension penalties were imposed on misleading and deceptive advertisements and unfair commercial practices. In addition, it was decided to impose a total administrative fine of 13 million 744 thousand 459 liras.
At the meeting, advertisements and practices in many sectors, from health advertisements in traditional and digital media to social media influencer advertisements, from food supplement advertisements to discount sales advertisements, were examined.
In the decisions taken on advertisements that create the perception of continuous discounts, it was observed that one company set a six-month discount period in its campaigns published on various channels. It was decided to stop these campaigns, which spread over the winter, spring and summer seasons under the title of “season discount” and included constantly changing products, on the grounds that they would create the perception of continuous discounts and cause uncertainty among consumers.
The use of expressions emphasizing that fast-moving consumer goods are “equivalent to products prepared by mothers” was also found to be in violation of the legislation. Especially in the food sector, it was determined that expressions such as “mother’s recipe”, “mother’s formula”, “mother’s touch” in the promotion of products targeting children create the impression that they are food products prepared under home conditions and suitable for children’s consumption, and it was decided to stop the use of such expressions.
In the first five months of the year, the Advertising Board evaluated a total of 756 files. A total of 107 million 883 thousand 569 liras of administrative fines were imposed for 664 files that were determined to be deceptive advertisements or unfair commercial practices.
