Decisions Adopted at the Meeting No. 355 of the Advertisement Board

Decisions Taken at the Meeting of the Advertisement Board Dated March 13, 2025 and Numbered 355

The Advertisement Board (“Board”), operating under the Ministry of Trade, reviewed 141 files during its 355th meeting held on March 13, 2025. Following its assessment, the Board determined that 131 of these files were in violation of the applicable legislation and imposed a total administrative fine of TRY 32,481,507. Additionally, it ruled for the precautionary suspension of one case and issued access restriction orders in relation to five cases.

At this meeting, the Board continued to monitor advertisements and commercial practices that directly affect consumer preferences, imposing significant sanctions particularly on advertisements published by companies operating in the retail, technology, finance, e-commerce, and healthcare sectors. It is noteworthy that the Board placed particular emphasis on misleading discount claims in the ready-to-wear sector and false statements regarding technology products, given their detrimental impact on consumers’ economic interests.

Misleading Advertisements Regarding Technical Features of Products

The Board considered it misleading to attribute technical features—either unavailable in the Turkish market or limited to certain models—to an entire product line through general expressions. Accordingly,

In the advertisements titled “Citroen C4 X Voice Recognition Feature” published on the “Citroen Türkiye” account via the YouTube platform by Stellantis Otomotiv Pazarlama A.Ş., it was stated that the voice recognition feature was included in the vehicle’s equipment package. However, the Board found that the relevant infrastructure required for this feature was not yet supported in Türkiye, and thus the feature could not be used actively. On the grounds that the promise presented in the said advertisements did not reflect the truth and misled consumers, the Board imposed an administrative fine of TRY 863,580 and issued a cease-and-desist order regarding the advertisements.

Similarly, in the advertisements published by Samsung Electronics İstanbul Pazarlama ve Ticaret Ltd. Şti. for the “Galaxy A Series” smartphones, the phrase “Circle to Search is available on Galaxy A Series” was used. However, it was determined that the Galaxy A15 model did not include this feature and that the advertisements failed to indicate this exception with respect to the main promise. In this context, the Board concluded that the advertisements were deceptive and misleading, in violation of the principles of accuracy and honesty, and accordingly imposed an administrative fine of TRY 600,000 along with a cease-and-desist order against Samsung Electronics İstanbul Pazarlama ve Ticaret Ltd. Şti.

Omission of Product Content Information and Recurrent Violation of the Legislation

It was identified that the footwear promoted by NBI Giyim Anonim Şirketi on the website https://www.newbalance.com.tr did not include any information regarding the presence of pigskin in the product content, although such information was clearly disclosed on foreign-based websites for the same products. The Board underlined that the advertisements failed to adequately inform consumers about the product’s components, despite the presence of an ingredient contrary to the general religious sensitivities of the public. In addition, the Board recalled that an administrative sanction had previously been imposed on the same company during its 348^th meeting due to a similar violation and determined that the non-compliance persisted. Accordingly, the Board imposed an administrative fine of TRY 1,730,000 and issued a cease-and-desist order in respect of the said advertisements.

A similar violation was also committed by Santanyi Ayakkabı Ticaret Limited Şirketi. The Board found that, although the product named “Ground Michelin” offered for sale on the website https://www.camper.com/tr included the phrase “37% Leather” in its description, the corresponding product information on the foreign version of the same website stated “37% Pigskin.” In this regard, it was concluded that there was an omission of material information concerning the product’s components, given the identification of pigskin content. Accordingly, the Board issued a cease-and-desist order with respect to the said advertisements.

Non-Transparent Campaign Structure and Unclear Reward System

In the “Treasure Hunt” campaign conducted by Okx Tr Kripto Varlık Alım Satım Platformu A.Ş., various prizes such as a MacBook Pro, iPhone 16, PlayStation 5, and USDT were promised to consumers in return for completing certain tasks. However, no information was provided regarding the number of prizes or the method of their distribution. The Board concluded that the campaign lacked transparency and clarity, and further determined that the manner in which the advertisements were structured had the potential to manipulate consumer decisions. Accordingly, the Board imposed an administrative fine of TRY 863,580 and issued a cease-and- desist order in relation to the said advertisements.

Violations of Information Obligations in Discounted Sales Campaigns

The Board reviewed incomplete or misleading information practices in discounted sales campaigns that had the potential to mislead consumers. In this context:

- It was determined that in the campaigns conducted by Beymen Perakende ve Tekstil Yatırımları A.Ş., Aydınlı Hazır Giyim San. ve Tic. A.Ş., and Boyner Büyük Mağazacılık Tic. A.Ş., the pre-discount prices were not determined based on the lowest price applied within the last 30 days, no information was provided regarding the duration of the campaigns, and stock availability was not disclosed.

- In the campaign conducted by Carrefoursa Carrefour Sabancı Ticaret Merkezi A.Ş. under the phrase “30% discount with CarrefourSA Card,” the previous prices of the discounted products were found to be inaccurate, and the start and end dates of the campaign were not included in the advertisements.

The Board concluded that these deficiencies were capable of adversely affecting consumers’ economic behavior and therefore decided to impose an administrative fine of TRY 600,000 on each of the aforementioned companies and issued cease-and-desist orders regarding the said advertisements.