ASCI upholds JK Tyre's No 1 market position

New Delhi: In what is being considered as a landmark decision in the highly competitive Indian tyre industry, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has upheld JK Industries Ltd’s claim of being India's No 1 tyre manufacturer in the four-wheeler tyre segment, reaffirming JK’s leadership position in the market.

Expressing his happiness over ASCI’s judgement, JK Tyre marketing director T K Banerjee says: “This is a fabulous example of why all of us need to have faith in bodies like ASCI. We believe that the process of self-regulation in Indian advertising is working for both companies and agencies. We also hope that this would encourage various players to bring superior technology and consumer service standards and claim leadership in a more healthier and competitive manner.”

The case was started when few competitors filed a complaint with ASCI against JK Tyre’s print advertisement, in which JK Tyre announced its numero uno position in the four-wheeler tyre segment, quoting production figures compiled by Automotive Tyre Manufacturer Association and other authentic industry sources.

But the competitors contradicted the claim, stating the fact that market figures from a company’s annual report should be used as authentic data to claim one’s leadership, not the production figures.

But ASCI considered the case at the Consumer Complaints Council on 23 May 2002 and upheld JK Tyre’s contention that production figures, as compiled by authentic industry sources and used by JK Tyre to claim its leadership, is a valid and applicable comparison platform.

Hence, JK Tyre’s claim as No 1 tyre manufacturer in India is a perfectly valid and correct statement. This also reflects ASCI’s agreement to JK Tyre’s viewpoint that figures, as stated in the one’s annual report, could actually be misleading and could include revenues from non-tyre-related businesses also.

JK Tyre, pioneers of radial technology in India, is today India’s largest manufacturer of tyres in the four-wheel segment, including tyres for trucks and buses, LCVs, passenger cars, jeeps, tractors, ADVs and OTRs. After 25 years of pioneering world-class technologies in India, JK Tyre has recently launched the country’s first eco-friendly coloured tyres as well as steel-belted tractor rear radials.