China advertising law banned terms
What is China Advertising Law?
On September 1, 2015, the People’s Republic of China modified its Advertising Law. The amended policy simply prohibits the use of superlative adjectives in advertising. Companies and organizations are discouraged to utilize marketing phrases such as “the highest”, “the best” or “most powerful”.
Under the local advertising law, the direct Chinese translations of superlative adjectives are also not allowed. The policy proclaims that a company’s advertising statement must be measurable and possible to prove. If a brand’s claims cannot be proven, this will be deemed misleading, which violates the advertising code.
The degree of punishments for violations of advertising law can carry fines from 200,000 yuan (US$31,000) to 1,000,000 yuan (US$151,000) – as well as the risk of having one’s business license revoked.
Even the giant companies are not safe from this strict rule. Xiaomi Inc, one of China’s largest electronics companies and world’s fifth largest smartphone maker, was investigated by Beijing officials. They used the banned marketing terms like “the best” and “the most advanced” on their website.