Groupon Nurofen complaint
May 31, 2016
A COMPLAINT by the Pharmacy
Guild of Australia about an
online advertisement for Reckitt
Benckiser’s Nurofen Zavance has
been found to be justified by the
Therapeutic Products Advertising
Complaints Resolution Panel.
The hearing was in Mar, and
related to a promotion by group
buying site Groupon which offered
a ‘coupon’ selling a 72-pack of
Nurofen Zavance Tablets for $13, or
a 144-pack for $24.
The advertisement urged
consumers to “stock up on an anti-inflammatory
pain killer...live life
to the full by getting rid of pesky
pain problems such as headaches,
muscular pain, back or dental pain
by using Nurofen Zavance”.
There was a limit of five vouchers
per coupon, and the Guild claimed
the ad breached parts of the
Therapeutic Goods Advertising
code because it is “likely to elicit
unrealistic expectations in the
reasonable consumer regarding
the effectiveness of this product in
relieving pain”.
The ad also did not contain the
words “use only as directed” and
the Guild complained it was also
likely to encourage inappropriate or
excessive use of the product.
Reckitt Benckiser denied any
responsibility for the ad, while
Groupon itself made no substantive
response to the complaint.
Groupon was ordered to
withdraw the advertisement, give
a written undertaking not to repeat
the breach and publish a retraction
on its website.
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