Nike named and shamed on Chinese TV show for false advertising

Sports brand Nike, Japanese retailer Muji and Chinese search engine Baike.com were all named in this year's "name-and-shame" show on state-run television in China. The show is a consumer-protection show on a state-run channel in China.Titled “3.15 Gala”, the show accused Nike for falsely advertising a limited edition of its basketball shoes. The goods in question claimed to have Zoom Air sole cushions inside when they did not, said the broadcaster. According to an article on Bloomberg, Nike said it learned of the matter last year and consumers were then contacted and offered compensation along with an apology.Japanese brand Muji also come under fire and was accused of selling food from radioactive-contaminated areas in Japan. The products were then said to be mislabeled and did not declare that it came from areas of Japan affected by radiation.The show also pointed fingers at Baike.com, also known as the world's largest Chinese encyclopedia/news website, which has now become a marketing platform. The platform was accused of being flooded with ads promoting health products that have not been certified by the authorities, said the broadcaster.Brands and enterprises across supermarkets, optometry, food, health and wellbeing services, medicines and other categories were also criticised by the programme.China’s state television broadcaster, CCTV, has been co-hosting an annual gala with government agencies on March 15, World Consumer Rights Day since 1991, using hidden cameras to highlight what the network calls companies’ unfair practices against consumers for the sake of protecting consumers’ rights.The show has over the years accused several well-known brands, including Alibaba, Apple, China Mobile, McDonald's and Nike.