Mediaboss Marketing

The Federal Trade Commission, jointly with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have sued a New York-based marketer of herbal tea, seeking to permanently block deceptive ads that claim its Earth Tea is clinically proven to treat, cure, and prevent COVID-19. The FTC also is seeking to impose civil penalties on the defendants behind Earth Tea under the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act.

The complaint announced today names as defendants Brooklyn-based B4B Earth Tea LLC, B4B Corp., and its owner, Andrew Martin (Busta) Sinclair.

Without any scientific evidence, the defendants claimed that drinking their herbal tea is more effective in preventing COVID-19 than approved vaccines, and cures anyone who has gotten ill within 24 hours, said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection. In bringing this matter with our partners at the Department of Justice and the Food and Drug Administration, the Commission continues its commitment to using every tool available to stop and deter those who would treat the pandemic as opportunity to peddle bogus treatments.

The Department of Justice will not tolerate individuals or companies seeking to profit from the COVID-19 public health emergency by unlawfully advertising unproven products, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Department of Justices Civil Division. The Department is committed to protecting consumers and enforcing the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act and the FDCA against those who unlawfully market unproven COVID-19 treatments.

Products like this may delay patients from seeking proven treatments from their health care provider. Preying on patients vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic is unacceptable, said Judy McMeekin, Pharm.D., FDAs Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. The FDA will continue to actively monitor the U.S. market for any companies or individuals falsely marketing products with claims it prevents or treats COVID-19, and will take actions against those who violate the law and endanger patients.

COVID-19 has tragically claimed nearly one million lives in this country and close to six million lives worldwide, stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. Unfortunately, there are too many people who are taking advantage of this crisis by pushing alleged treatment products that are nothing more than snake oil. We will not tolerate attempts to make a dishonest dollar while putting our communities at risk during a pandemic.

According to the joint agency complaint, Sinclair and the two companies he owns and operates sell Earth Tea for $60 per 16-ounce bottle to consumers nationwide via social media and the Internet. Since at least April 2020, the complaint alleges, on their own websites and through social media posts and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter TikTok, and YouTube, Sinclair, and his companies have misrepresented that Earth Tea prevents or treats COVID-19 and falsely claimed to have evidence of its efficacy. The defendants say they have anecdotal evidence from customers to support the claims, but there are currently no published reports or any well-controlled scientific studies or research indicating that Earth Tea can either prevent or treat COVID-19.

Among other things, the ads for Earth Tea claim:

Earth Teas ads also include unsupported claims such as: 1) Vaccines trial shows preventing hospitalization is 85%-96% while so far Earth Tea Extra Strength is 100% we have helped people who are vaccinated; 2) No one who was positive and used Earth Tea went to the hospital; and 3) comparing a vial of vaccine with a bottle of Earth Tea, Which one is 100% effective with 0 side effects#COVID19 Trial Report Is The Answer Not What Leaders WantCompare Both. The ads also falsely claim the Earth Tea is clinically proven to cure COVID-19 in 48 hours. In at least one tweet, the defendants claimed the cure would only take 24 hours.

The defendants behind Earth Tea cite one 15-person study conducted in India to support their health claims for Earth Tea, but the study has a small sample size, no control group, and the results were never published in a recognized scientific journal. The results do not rise to the level of providing competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the health claims, according to the complaint.

The Commission vote to refer the civil penalty complaint to the DOJ for filing was 4-0. The Department of Justice filed the complaint on behalf of the Commission in the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of New York. In addition to the violations alleged by the FTC, the complaint includes charges by the FDA alleging violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

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FTC, DOJ, and FDA Take Action to Stop Marketer of Herbal Tea from Making False COVID-19 Treatment Claims - Federal Trade Commission News

The Coca-Cola Company has increasingly been focusing on digital transformation initiatives at a global scale. Last year, the company launched its inaugural collection of Coca-Cola NFTs reimagined some of the brands iconic assets for the metaversewith dynamic motion, movement, and multisensorial elementsinspired by shared moments of friendship. Auctioned as one lot, the collection featured multi-sensory NFTs housed inside a Friendship Box (itself an NFT) packaged as a loot box, a play on the popular video game feature involving sealed mystery boxes.

Aligned with their global vision, Coca-Cola in India was recently the official beverage sponsor for the countrys first-ever metaverse wedding, to curate unique digital-first experiences for guests attending virtually. The company is putting-in steadfast efforts on digital transformation at a global scale and is investing heavily in technology and innovation in India.

Commenting on this unique initiative by the brand, Sumeli Chatterjee, Head - Integrated Marketing Experiences (IMX), Coca-Cola India, said, We are in an era of digital disruption, where technology and digitization are key catalysts. At Coca-Cola, Innovation, experimentation, and digital acceleration are all key priority pillars for us. Were devising innovative ways to reach our consumers through a host of digital mediums. As a futuristic Company, we are happy to partner for Indias first, one-of-a-kind metaverse wedding. This concept is at the fore of progressive digital transformation, and we are proud to have played a part in it.

Guests experienced numerous engaging activities, with options to choose from and enjoy virtually. The wedding floor was completely owned by Coca-Cola India, and the beverages section was branded with Coke cans. When guests moved towards the Coca-Cola beverages counter, the Coke jingle began playing automatically. The guests also received discounts and gift cards from the brand as return gifts.

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Coca-Cola India sponsors first-of-its-kind metaverse wedding in India - Exchange4Media

With the pandemic dramatically shifting long-conditioned consumer behavior in just a matter of weeks, digital has cemented its position as the default choice for how consumers choose to interact with the world. As a result, marketers today are re-evaluating their priorities and strategies to make a difference in this new era. What changes does the next normal hold in store for marketing? How can advertisers stay on top of their game amid these transformations? In this year's edition of their annual India Mobile Marketing Handbook, InMobi examines the year that was and discusses the key trends that will influence consumer behavior.

The next wave in India's digital growth

With 810 million internet users as of 2021, India is home to the second-largest internet user base in the world, preceded only by China. This sweeping shift has been evangelized by three main factors: access to the cheapest data tariffs in the world, advanced smartphones at reduced costs and rapidly growing infrastructure that has dramatically improved connectivity. This pervasive growth of digital channels has changed the face of non-urban India. This is proven by the fact that non-urban consumers have shown a massive 3X higher YoY (Year Over Year)growth in users compared to urban consumers. As of 2020,non-urban areas account for over 300 million users, growing at a rate of 13% over the last year.

The growth in digital adoption is spurred by the country's top telecom players, who have been expanding their mobile user bases outside urban areas in recent months. Post Q2 2021 lockdowns, the non-urban mobile data usage for the top 3 Telco players grew by 30-35% - a much sharper increase than the 15-20% rise in urban data usage.

Source: InMobi Mobile Marketing Handbook, India, 2022 and IAMAI-Kantar ICUBE 2020 Report, 2021

Private and public forces unite to drive non-urban Indias digitization

Multiple private and public initiatives are leading the digitization efforts in India, bridging the gap between urban and non-urban India.

Be it promoting regionalcontent, reimagining online shopping for non-urban India, or helping small businesses digitize - such partnerships will continue to enhance the digital experience for non-urban users across India.

Non-urban digital growth: The present and the future

As the ever-growing Indian digitization story unfolds, one can expect all eyes to be on the non-urban connected consumer. While a percentage of this population still does not have active access to the internet, digital adoption continues to be majorly propelled by non-urban India. With widespread mobile-led internet penetration set to grip India in the coming years, brands must rethink their marketing initiatives by paying attention to the needs of their non-urban Indian consumers.

To deep dive into more mobile marketing trends that will rule this year's brand game in India, download InMobi's 2022 India Mobile Marketing Handbook: The Indisputable Magic of Mobile.

Get your queries answered by experts at InMobi, write to them at mobilemarketing@inmobi.com to understand the changing market dynamics and key insights into evolving consumer behavior.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com.

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India's next growth story: The rise of the non-urban connected consumer - Exchange4Media

Tire manufacturer Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) has roped in superstar Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador.Rajiv Poddar, Jt. Managing Director, Balkrishna Industries Ltd, said, We are overjoyed to announce our brand partnership with youth icon Ranveer Singh, who has established himself as the category leader through sheer hard work and excellence, making him the perfect choice to highlight our brand.

Both BKT and Ranveer Singh have been referred to as mavericks as a result of their versatility and innovativeness in approach and we are excited at building this partnership on the edifice of these qualities. We are confident that Ranveer will be greatly instrumental in amplifying awareness of our unique offerings across India. We look forward to a successful partnership with him for many years to come", Poddar added.

On his new role as the brand ambassador ofBKTTires,Ranveer Singhsaid, Im glad to representBKTTires, as their motto of "Growing Together embracing the spirit of evolving and growing to a brighter, better future strongly resonates with me and I am happy to be associated withBKTworld and values.

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Ranveer Singh roped in as brand ambassador of tyre manufacturer BKT - Exchange4Media

HT Media invited Abheek Biswas, AVP, Consumer Insights at WATConsult, to share the key highlights of the dentsu e4mDigital Advertising Report 2022 on Wednesday, 23rd February.The session was exclusive to HT Media teams, partners and clients, and witnessed some intriguing questions from the audience.

Abheek shed light on digital marketing and advertising trends in India for the new year, how consumer trends are changing the advertising landscape and the opportunities for publishers and advertisers in 2022.

Talking about the sunset of 3rd party cookies, Abheek said I believe this end of an era, as some people call it, is the beginning of a new era of trust and transparency between brands and consumers. It will change the terms of data management, making user content and positive value exchange the key factors. Alternative routes such as creation of first part data sources, cohorts being created around interests, demographics, psychographics and geographies already being created. For most publishers, the solution will come from a blend of options that is unique to their needs.

There was also an interesting discourse on the various post-digital era trends, on which Abheek commented Web 3, NFTs, crypto, conversational commerce etc. are seen as trend because right now they are going through the adoption curve. Innovators are trying to test out the systems. The government has already announced that it is looking into the idea of digital currency, blockchain etc. The next step, inherently, for advertisers and marketers is to take a lead in setting their own blockchain models; initially at the ecosystem level where publishers, advertisers and brands will have the infrastructure setup. Demand from the public will start arising by the next year so within the next 2-3years revenue generation will happen, positively!

In discussion with Mitesh Desai, Head of Sales Excellence and Agency Relationships at HT Media, regarding the way forward for publishers and advertisers in a post-cookie era, Abheek added When the news broke that cookies are going to become redundant, the initial discussion was focussed around the question- What is going to happen to advertising? In my opinion, cookie-less does not mean advertising-less or less personalization and relevancy. It simply means there is a need for a shift towards sustainable advertising and responsible advertising. Non-intrusive personalization is the need of the hour. Consumers put a lot of emphasis on data privacy and regulations are being made for this. Contextual advertising prioritizes user experience and trust. And it does it very well. E.g. Targeting ads just by using content that the customers are already engaged in does not just benefit brand, it provides an improved user experience. Users feel more in tune with the values and interests of the brand. Contextual advertising will take lead in cases where deep data is unavailable. Further integration with messaging, chatbots, creative personalization will lead to a surge in contextual advertising as we approach the cookie-less world.

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The end of 3rd party cookies- Beginning of a new era of trust and transparency - Exchange4Media