Greenpeace is allowed to express its opinion in a confrontational commercial about the role it believes the Dutch bank Rabobank plays in the nature, climate, and nitrogen crisis. This was decided by the Advertising Code Committee. The television commercial features images of forest fires, mega-stalls and the felling of rain forests. The text and voice-over says, among other things: "Rabobank, proud sponsor of festivals & nature destruction" and "Rabobank, proud sponsor of museums & cutting down rainforests."

AdvertisingDaphne VrielingOctober 4, 2023Greenpeace, opinion, ACC, advertising, advertising law

Dairy industry may also advertise sustainability

In a YouTube video the dairy producer Melkunie claims to be on the sustainable tour: Melkunie is planting 40,000 trees. That's not greenwashing. Why not? Melkunie does what it says and also explains its sustainability claim. The fact that dairy production has harmful effects on the environment does not mean that Melkunie should no longer use the word sustainable.

Advertising, FoodDaphne VrielingOctober 3, 2023ACC, advertising, advertising law, Dairy, Melkunie, sustainability

Chewing gum argument: natural gum or not?

Green, greener, greenest! Consumers are increasingly making (more) conscious choices for more sustainable, natural products. The food industry is embracing this need. Chewing gum producer BenBits also advertises with "natural" and "plastic-free" gum. This year, competitors Perfetti (Mentos and others) and BenBits submitted complaints about each other's advertising.

Food, AdvertisingDaniel HaijeSeptember 29, 2022chewing gum, food, advertising, ACC, natural

Responsibly Made For Kids logo - ACC keeps its cool

Advertisers may use a self-developed logo in advertising if it is made sufficiently clear what is meant by this logo. This general principle was confirmed in a recent case before the Advertising Code Committee (ACC) between Unilever and Foodwatch. Foodwatch filed a complaint alleging that the "Responsibly Made for Kids" logo developed by Unilever was misleading.

AdvertisingDaniel HaijeSeptember 27, 2022advertising, ACC, logo

Fake reviews; really misleading

A webshop may not claim that reviews are authentic if this has not been investigated. And the posting of fake reviews by webshops (or having them posted) is now misleading by definition. This follows from the new e-commerce rules that apply since May 28, 2022 as a result of the implementation of the Modernization Directive (2019/2161).

But how does one prove that a review is fake or real?

AdvertisingDaniel HaijeJuly 12, 2022ACC, advertising, review, reviews, fake reviews, webshop

Sustainability update

The expressions about sustainability are numerous, as are the rulings of the Advertising Code Committee on this subject. Here are some tips and general guidelines to see through the forest of sustainable/green/eco trees.

AdvertisingDaniel HaijeJuly 12, 2022sustainability, ACC, advertising, CO2

Zeeman goes naked

A television commercial for women's underwear by Dutch retail chain Zeeman shows women in underwear in all kinds of situations. Women’s buttocks are prominently featured. Complainants find the commercial women-unfriendly, sexist and too naked for a time slot when children also watch TV. They also complain that Zeeman encourages women to distribute erotic selfies. The complaints raise the question whether the commercial is contrary to good taste and/or decency.

AdvertisingDaniel HaijeSeptember 24, 2021Zeeman, avertising, ACC

Influencer marketing: active monitoring mandatory!

Anyone who contracts an influencer will of course ensure that the influencer has to comply with all advertising rules: Mentioning #ad and so on. But that's not enough!

AdvertisingDaniel HaijeSeptember 24, 2021ACC, advertising law, influencers

Food for thought: vegan pizza with risk of traces of milk and egg

The vegan shoarma pizza is the latest addition to New York Pizza's pizza range. This launch did not go unnoticed, as is often the case with this pizza specialist. Earlier, we reported that the campaign promoting the cauliflower pizza base caught the eye.

Advertising, FoodDaniel HaijeSeptember 24, 2021food, food law, advertising, ACC

ACC: CO2 neutralisation claims must be proven beyond reasonable doubt

The Dutch Advertising Code Committee (ACC) issued an important ruling on 26 August 2021. The ACC sets very high standards for the substantiation of CO2 neutralization claims.

AdvertisingDaphne VrielingSeptember 24, 2021advertising, ACC, CO2

A flyer from a group of Concerned Citizens

In November 2020 many Dutch received a flyer from an action group called 'Bezorgde Burgers' (Concerned Citizens). At first glance the flyer contained innocent quotes from Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. This soon changes when it is claimed that corona can be treated perfectly with supplements and medicines. Also, face masks would be bad for your health and lockdowns would cause a decrease in resistance. The anti-corona flyer was not well received by the complainant. He therefore filed a complaint with the Advertising Code Committee (ACC).

AdvertisingDaniel HaijeMarch 30, 2021flyer, corona, covid, Concerned Citizens, anti-corona, ACC, RCC

Ministry of Defense wins battle at Board of Appeal

In a recent ruling the Board of Appeal (BoA) ruled that the Advertising Code Committee (ACC) and the BoA may only rule that an advertisement violates the GDPR when this is abundantly clear.

AdvertisingDaniel HaijeMarch 30, 2021RCC, ACC, advertising, Ministry of Defense, BoA, GDPR, AVG

Homeopathy: scientifically proven for specific ailments

Can the Royal Association Homeopathy Netherlands state on its website that several scientific studies show efficacy in many indications? This was the starting point of a principle procedure at the Advertising Code Committee. The complainant, adamantly opposed to homeopathy, felt that the text should be removed.

Advertising, FoodDaniel HaijeMarch 30, 2021ACC, RCC, advertising, reclame, homeopathie, homeopathy

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