Sterra apologises for misleading ad posted in February 2024 about Singapore tap water
On Friday (30 Aug), local air and water purifier brand Sterra issued an apology for a misleading Facebook advertisement published in February 2024.
The ad falsely suggested that Singapore tap water was unsafe to drink without using Sterra’s water purifier.
This apology follows an investigation by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS), which revealed that Sterra had made false claims about both Singapore tap water and its own purifier products.
False claims about Singaporean tap water
The CCCS launched its investigation earlier this year after receiving multiple complaints about the Sterra ad, including a formal complaint from PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency.
PUB emphasised that it will not tolerate false or misleading claims that undermine public confidence in Singapore’s drinking water.
Sterra’s advertisement was particularly concerning as it falsely implied that Singapore tap water contained harmful micro-organisms such as bacteria and algae.
In February 2024, Sterra made headlines when Nanyang Technological University PhD student Clarence Sim exposed the misleading nature of the ad.
The advertisement featured footage of microbes that Sterra claimed were present in Singapore tap water.
However, Sim pointed out that the water sample shown was unlikely to be from Singapore tap water.
In fact, investigations by the CCCS confirmed that the sample actually came from a beach.
Moreover, the ad’s depiction of clean water was misleading — CCCS revealed that this footage came from bottled water, not water filtered by Sterra’s products.
Additional misleading marketing practices
The CCCS’s investigation also uncovered several other misleading marketing tactics used by Sterra to promote its products.
Source: Sterra
For instance, Sterra falsely claimed that three models of its air purifiers were manufactured in Singapore. In reality, these models were made in China.
It also asserted that two of its water purifier models were produced in Korea. These were also manufactured in China.
Additionally, the company advertised discounts that were deceptive because the pre-discount prices had never actually been offered to any customers.
In response to these findings, the CCCS has issued warnings to Sterra and will monitor its practices to prevent future occurrences of misleading advertising.
The CCCS also acknowledged Sim for his role in exposing the false advertisement in February and educating the public.
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Featured image adapted from Sterra and @clarencesimple on Instagram.
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