If the doctor’s fake, what about the rest of the ad?

A HAIR SHAMPOO BRAND that claimed to prevent hair loss was recently reported to contain false information in its advertisement. Thepaper.cn comments:

According to reports, the figure described by the advertisement as the “doctor” who invented the shampoo was an actor hired by an advertisement company to play the role.

If the reports are true, the advertisement will almost undoubtedly be making false claims. According to the laws on advertisements and consumer rights protection, those who produce or appear in advertisements and make promises about the positive effects of a product without evidence to back them up should be punished. The reported advertisement has broken all the rules.

Previously, there have been many reports about interest chains behind false medical advertisements. Certain agencies reportedly sign contracts with actors and dress them as “experts” to boast the “positive effects” of medical products. But the actors are only part of the whole interest chain, and the advertising companies play a bigger role.

More importantly, the law requires all TV stations to review and check the content of advertisements before deciding whether to broadcast them. In this case, they obviously failed to do that.

Advertisements for pharmaceutical drugs, health and cosmetic products must not make claims that guarantee efficacy based on endorsements or testimonials. Advertisements for such products should be approved by the relevant departments first before being broadcast.

The company selling the shampoo, the company that made the advertisement, the TV station that broadcast it, as well as the departments that are supposed to regulate the advertisement industry — had anyone of them performed their role, the advertisement would not have been broadcast. It is time to launch a thorough probe to hold those responsible accountable for their misdeeds.