Duracell bunny 'a fake'

2006-12-13 09:42

Liesl Pretorius

Johannesburg - The Duracell bunny has been exposed for what it's not - the long-eared, super fit bunny does not last up to six times longer than any other battery-operated long ear.

In TV ads the pink bunny boasts that he could beat any other battery-operated bunny hands down - from playing the drums to kicking a soccer ball.

Based on the findings of an arbitrator, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered Duracell to remove the 20-year old slogan from its ads.

The advertisements claim that Duracell lasts "up to six times longer than ordinary zinc-carbon batteries" - a statement that led Eveready to lodge a complaint with the ASA in 2004.

Duracell produced research conducted by international energy consultancy Catella Generics to back up its claims.

Eveready requested earlier this year that the case be referred to an arbitrator because it had evidence - tests form the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) - that the statement is false.

The arbitrator found the SABS tests to be valid and that it proved the Duracell statement wrong.

ASA chief of legal and regulatory affairs Gail Schimmel didn?t want to elaborate on the arbitrators report. On the question on how long the Duracell battery actually lasts, she said the ASA's procedures and decisions are always specific - "we look at a specific claim or advertisement - in this case it was whether the 'six-times-longer' statement was true or not and not which statement should replace it".

Schimmel said the SABS tests showed that the Duracell claim cannot be confirmed.

A spokesperson for Proctor & Gamble, who is responsible for the Duracell trademark, couldn't be reached for comment despite several attempts.

- Beeld