The Rin TVC by Hindustan Unilever Limited has been in the limelight for the past week. The TVC did arise a lot of questions in the consumers mind; a) Can a competitor dig at a rivals brand so bluntly, b) Is it legal for a corporate company to avoid all the advertising rules to gain publicity and c) What will be the after effect of this TVC?…Though, we may have to wait and watch for the answers of the above questions, right now what’s evident is that the ad has done what it intended.

The TVC was aired on February 25, 2010 and had the heads turning over the mention of the rival brand Tide Naturals in it. The commercial involved comparison between the two brands. Industry sources also reveal that the ad was released on weekend on purpose, considering the holidays due to Eid-e-Milad and Holi.

The ad featured two mothers waiting at a bus stop for their children to arrive from school. Meanwhile, they happen to glance in each other’s shopping basket. One lady had Rin whereas the other had opted for Tide Naturals. The lady with Tide starts bragging about the product by mentioning about ‘khushboo aur safedi bhi’. The Rin lady just smiles.

When the school bus arrives, both the children come out. The Rin boy’s shirt happens to be more white and shining than the Tide boy’s. The Tide lady is shocked looking at the spotless shirt. The Rin boy then takes a dig at Tide and asks his mother, ‘Aunty chaunk kyun gayi?’ (Chaunk Gaye? is the tagline for the brand Tide).

Though the TVC claims lab results as a proof, the industry believes it’s just a false claim. Meanwhile, P&G has moved to the Calcutta High Court against Rin’s TVC. P&G mentioned that the TVC was “disparaging” against its detergent brand, Tide Naturals.

Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has also received several complaints against the tvc and will reveal shortly its verdict.