ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan fined 3M Pakistan (Private) Limited PKR 10 million on Tuesday, ruling that the company ran a Scotch-Brite marketing campaign built on a comparison against Colgate-Palmolive Pakistan's Max Scrub that it never backed up with real evidence.

20-Minute Scotch-Brite Test Sparks Dispute

Colgate-Palmolive filed the original complaint after 3M Pakistan circulated a promotional video showing both products after 20 minutes of continuous washing. In the footage, Max Scrub appears visibly worn down while Scotch-Brite holds its shape. The CCP issued a Show Cause Notice and launched a formal enquiry to test whether the video crossed the line from marketing into deception.

3M's Employee Defence Fails to Convince CCP

Company lawyers argued that an employee conducted the demonstration in his personal capacity without corporate authorisation. That defence ran into trouble when Muhammad Imran, then the company's Regional Sales Manager, acknowledged before the Enquiry Committee that he had made the comparison.

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The Commission rejected the "personal capacity" argument. Investigators found Imran carried out the demonstration as part of an official marketing campaign 3M Pakistan itself commissioned, tying his conduct squarely back to the company rather than treating it as an individual's stray decision.

Laboratory Test Challenges Marketing Comparison

At the heart of the ruling sits a simple standard: companies can compare their products against competitors, but only with a "reasonable basis" and evidence that holds up. 3M Pakistan offered neither. The company never substantiated the comparison shown in the video, and when Colgate-Palmolive submitted an independent third-party laboratory report finding both products performed at similar quality levels, 3M Pakistan didn't challenge it. The unrebutted report became a central piece of evidence against the company's own marketing claims.

Why Channel-Partner Marketing Still Counted as Advertising

3M Pakistan also argued the video never counted as "advertising" in the first place because the company showed it to channel partners rather than pushing it directly to consumers. The Commission dismissed this too, pointing out that these partners exist specifically to promote Scotch-Brite, expand its market reach, and drive sales making the video advertising in every practical sense, regardless of who saw it first.

Citing Section 10(1) read with Section 10(2)(c) of the Competition Act, 2010, the Commission found 3M Pakistan in violation of the law for making a false or misleading comparison of goods in advertising. In setting the PKR 10 million penalty, CCP considered the seriousness of the infringement and the need to deter deceptive marketing practices.

Rs50,000-a-Day Penalty Awaits Non-Compliance

The order doesn't stop at the fine. The Commission has directed 3M Pakistan to permanently drop any repeat conduct involving Max Scrub or any comparable product from another company. The company must now submit a compliance report confirming payment of the penalty within 60 days. Miss that deadline, and the clock starts running on an additional PKR 50,000-per-day penalty until 3M Pakistan settles up.

The ruling validates Colgate-Palmolive's complaint and closes a case that hinged on one core lesson: comparative advertising claims need hard evidence behind them not confidence, and not a marketing employee's word alone.