Massive Penalty for Misleading Adverts
The Ministry of Advertising imposes 21 million 591 thousand 808 liras in fines on companies for deceiving consumers
The Turkish Ministry of Advertising has announced that at the Advertising Board meeting held on December 12, 2023, numerous administrative sanctions were imposed on companies for deceptive and misleading advertising, as well as unfair commercial practices. Out of the 171 files discussed at the meeting, 139 were found to be contrary to legislation, leading to a total administrative fine of 21 million 591 thousand 808 liras being imposed.
One of the companies sanctioned was a cosmetic company that used the phrase ‘Best Perfume – Best Price’ in its advertisements without providing any proof from relevant departments or organizations. This resulted in sanctions being imposed due to misleading and unfair advertising practices. Another company, an online reservation site, was penalized for falsely promoting an accommodation facility that was closed for reservations.
Misleading product packaging was also brought under scrutiny, with the Advertising Board examining various food products with deceptive statements and visuals. The Board found that names such as ‘Cool Lime’ and ‘Lime Extract’ gave the impression that the products contained lime, even though they did not. Sanctions were imposed on the companies responsible for these deceptive practices.
Furthermore, in the last month of the year, the Advertising Board imposed administrative sanctions on 12 files related to discount sales advertisements and practices that deceive consumers. A total of 134 discounted sales files were evaluated in 2023, leading to a total administrative fine of 4 million 41 thousand 59 liras being imposed on 119 files found to be contrary to legislation.
In 2023, a total of 2 thousand 7 files were evaluated by the Advertising Board, with 1762 files being subjected to suspension penalties for deceptive advertising or unfair commercial practices, along with a total administrative fine of 114 million 139 thousand 768 liras.
The Ministry’s efforts to crack down on deceptive advertising and unfair commercial practices are aimed at protecting consumers and ensuring fair competition in the market. These sanctions serve as a reminder to companies to uphold ethical advertising practices and comply with regulations to avoid facing penalties.
