Decisions Adopted at the Meeting No. 353 of the Advertising Board

The Advertising Board Imposed Deterrent Sanctions against Deceptive and Misleading Advertisements

In the first meeting of 2025 held on January 16, 2025, the Advertising Board (“Board”) reviewed deceptive and misleading advertisements and commercial practices in order to protect consumers' economic interests and ensure a fair competition environment in the market. As a result, the Board decided to impose administrative sanctions on certain advertisers.

Out of the 209 files reviewed by the Board, 189 were found to be in violation of the legislation. In this context:

- Advertisement suspension penalties were imposed on 188 files,

- A precautionary suspension decision was issued for 1 file,

- A total of TRY 29,136,384 administrative fine was imposed,

- Access restriction measures were applied to 10 files to prevent consumer grievances.

Board Orders Suspension of Discount Advertisement, Approves Label Correction

It has been determined that the label information on the packaging of the Wörf Antifreeze Glass Cleaner, sold by Wörf Dış Ticaret Limited Şirketi, had been corrected. Upon review, the actual volume of the product was confirmed to be 3 liters, and the label change was found to be aimed at providing accurate information to consumers. Accordingly, the Board ruled that the relevant advertisements were not in violation of the regulations.

The "50% Discount on All Products, September 1-21" poster advertisements published by Hilal Kırtasiye Özel Eğitim Turizm Gıda Tekstil ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi were subjected to the Board's review. The investigation revealed that the price tags of the products included in the campaign lacked the required information, and the company failed to provide documents showing the lowest price applied in the 30 days preceding the campaign. This situation was deemed a violation of regulations, as it could create a misleading perception of a discount for consumers. Consequently, the Board determined that the company had acted in non-compliance with the regulations and decided to suspend the advertisements.

The Board Imposes Unfair Commercial Practice Penalty on Trendyol and Hepsiburada

The Board has determined that DSM Grup Danışmanlık İletişim ve Satış Tic. A.Ş. (Trendyol) engaged in unfair commercial practices by withholding negative consumer reviews. As a result, the company has been sanctioned with a penalty to cease such practices.

It has been determined that D-Market Elektronik Hizmetler ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Hepsiburada) provided some consumers with pre-written positive reviews on its platform. This practice was deemed misleading to consumers, leading the Board to impose a penalty requiring the cessation of these commercial practices.

Board Approves beIN CONNECT Advertisement

The digital broadcasting package promotions titled "beIN CONNECT InternetEnabled Star Package of Entertainment and Europe" featured in the beIN CONNECT mobile application have been reviewed. The decision particularly assessed whether consumers were misled regarding the package content and pricing. Although customer service representatives provided information about a different package during inquiries, it was determined that the advertised package's content and pricing were not misleading. As a result, no sanctions were imposed on the advertisement.

Board Imposes Advertisement Suspension Penalty on Banks and Financing Companies

The Advertising Board conducted a review of environmental claims used in the banking sector and found that advertisements for financial products, such as green housing and vehicle loans, did not clearly state interest rates and fee exemptions. Instead, the ads emphasized environmental sensitivity, creating a potentially misleading impression for consumers. As a result, the Board ordered the suspension of advertisements from 10 banks and issued an informative notice to the financial sector.

Additionally, the Board identified that a financing company concealed the actual cost of an interest-bearing vehicle loan in its promotional campaign. The failure to disclose additional costs such as participation fees in the main message, as well as the omission of the annual cost rate, led to the suspension of this advertisement as well.

The Board emphasized that all fees, commissions, and expenses must be transparently disclosed in loan advertisements to enable consumers to choose the most suitable credit offer and ensure fair competition in the financial sector.

Board Imposes Advertisement Suspension Penalty on Vodafone and TT Mobil

It has been determined that the advertisements published by Vodafone Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. and TT Mobil İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş., operating in the telecommunications sector, did not meet the promised service conditions and contained misleading information. As a result, the Board has decided to impose an advertisement suspension penalty on the respective companies.