The National Advertising Division (NAD) has issued a recommendation that consumer electronics brand Dreame Technology modify or discontinue an advertising claim that its hair styling tools can dry hair in two minutes.
The challenge was brought by global technology company Dyson against Dreame Technology’s Dazzle Hair Styler and Miracle Pro Hair Dryer, with the advertising claiming that the products can dry hair “in just two minutes”.
This appeared on Dreame’s website and on e-commerce goliath Amazon, alongside images of models with long hair.
In its investigation, NAD found that one reasonable takeaway is that the two-minute drying claim applies to the long hair depicted in the images, even where the text refers to shoulder-length hair.
NAD also noted that visual elements “can convey objective messages requiring substantiation”.
A statement from the NAD read: “NAD further found that pairing a quantified performance claim with imagery depicting materially different conditions – here, long hair versus shoulder-length hair – can communicate an unsupported message.
“As the advertising did not clearly limit the two-minute claim to shoulder-length hair, consumers may reasonably take away that similar results apply to longer hair.
“NAD also determined that disclosures in the advertising did not remedy the misleading message… and in this case, the disclosures did not clearly address drying time for long hair.”
NAD has recommended that Dreame Technology discontinue the challenged claims or modify its advertising to avoid conveying the message that the Dazzle Hair Styler and Miracle Pro Hair Dryer can dry long hair in two minutes.
This is based on avoiding “conveying the unsupported message that the products can dry long hair in that time”.
Cosmetics Business has contacted Dreame Technology for a statement.
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