Competing brands Ariel and Omo washing powders. ScanGroup Ltd has been sucked into a suit where Unilever Kenya, the makers of Omo, has sued Procter & Gamble for allegedly running a non-factual detergent advertising campaign for Ariel. FILE
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Unilever, which manufactures the flagship Omo washing powder, has been offended by Procter & Gamble’s prime-time television advert promoting Ariel as the best stain removal detergent “in one wash”.
ScanGroup Ltd, the ad agency, has been sucked into a suit where Unilever Kenya has sued Procter & Gamble for allegedly running a non-factual detergent advertising campaign for Ariel.
Unilever listed the media buyer as one of the respondents in a fresh suit filed Tuesday after it dropped an earlier suit against Procter & Gamble East Africa (PGEA).
The company has further listed Procter & Gamble International Operations based in Switzerland and Procter Gamble Services Ltd after it initially sued the wrong party. The company claims ScanGroup is the agency behind the advertisements.
PGEA last week distanced itself from the ads arguing that it had gone into liquidation and therefore, was not in a position to trade in the American transnational’s brand.
“The applicant has opted to sue the company that responded to the written demands to stop the advertisements and also the agency (ScanGroup) that arranged for running the advertisements and the erection of the billboards and point of sale materials,” said Inviolata Oriwo, Unilever Company secretary.
Justice Jacqueline Kamau Tuesday certified the case as urgent and allowed the company to serve the parent company, Procter & Gamble International Operations based in Switzerland, through substituted services of DHL courier services.
The case has been set for hearing on September 17.
Ariel is a washing powder that has in the last few years been in fierce competition with Omo for a larger share of the domestic laundry market.
Unilever, which manufactures the flagship Omo washing powder, has been offended by Procter & Gamble’s prime-time television advert promoting Ariel as the best stain removal detergent “in one wash”.
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