Misleading Advertisements

1. Redbull- Redbull Gives you wings 

For nearly 20 years, the tagline “Red Bull gives you wings” has promoted the popular energy drink. However, in 2014, Red Bull settled a class action lawsuit in the United States for over $13 million, alleging that the business had engaged in misleading advertising. Many consumers asserted (believed) that the advertised “wings” from the best-selling energy drink never materialized. 

One Red Bull drinker said that after 10 years of use, he was no more agile or smarter than before he started drinking the energy drink. 

The lawsuit states, “Despite the lack of genuine scientific support for a claim that Red Bull branded energy drinks provide any more benefit to a consumer than a cup of coffee,” the Red Bull defendants “persistently and ubiquitously market their product as a superior source of ‘energy,'” justifying a higher price tag than a cup of coffee or other sources of caffeine. 

Customers in Canada quickly caught on. Michael Atter, the plaintiff, said that Red Bull made misleading claims about the product’s effectiveness. Specifically, Attar claimed that the company’s claims that Red Bull was more effective than a cheaper product, such a cup of coffee, were in violation of the Quebec Consumer Protection Act. 

In another high-profile case, Red Bull settled with dissatisfied Canadian customers for a substantial fee. Red Bull GmbH reportedly settled a class action lawsuit for about $640,000, as reported by Dished Vancouver. The settlement might award consumers in Canada who purchased Red Bull during the previous twelve years with a 10 dollar payment. 

Important consumer protection legislation safeguarding them from deceptive advertising is the driving force behind this. Unfortunately, situations like these may clutter the judicial system and make light of the necessity to police against illegal business activities.

2. Danon Activia Yogurt- Specia Bacterial Ingredient 

A major class action lawsuit filed by American consumers in September 2009 alleged that Dannon overstated the health benefits of certain of its yogurt varieties in advertisements. Customers in the United States might get up to $35 million from the settlement. 

A consumer in California filed a class action lawsuit against The Dannon Company, claiming the company’s assertions that its probiotic yogurt offers clinically and scientifically-proven health benefits were false and asking for compensation for US customers who bought the products based on the marketing campaign. In addition, it requested that Dannon begin a fresh advertising effort to set the record straight. 

According to the main attorney in the case, “misleading advertising has enabled Dannon to sell hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of ordinary yogurt at inflated rates to responsible, health aware consumers” when the lawsuit was initially filed in 2008. 

In the complaint, plaintiffs contend that Dannon’s clinical tests disprove its marketing claims that its DanActive®, Activia® Light, and Activia® yogurts help control digestion. In the lawsuit, it is claimed that the defendants spent over US$100 million on advertising to convince customers that their probiotic yogurt was worth the higher price. 

The lawsuit claimed that commercials for Activia® and DanActive® yogurts made false claims about the health benefits of the products. The voiceover in the commercials for Activia® yogurt, which claims that eating it daily would “clinically proven to help balance your digestive system in two weeks,” has become famous for the absurdity with which it promotes the product.