There?s a new twist to the ongoing ad war between FMCG majors Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) and Procter & Gamble India (P&G). After receiving complaints from consumers over HUL?s latest Rin ad campaign, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the watchdog of the Indian ad industry, on Tuesday said it is looking into the matter.

?We have received consumer complaints citing unfair comparison in HUL?s the new ad campaign for Rin. We have forwarded these complaints to the advertiser. On March 23, ASCI?s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) will look into this matter,? said Alan Collaco, secretary general of ASCI.

Battlelines were drawn when HUL beamed a high-voltage television campaign that directly compared the washing powers of P&G?s Tide and HUL?s Rin in its communication. To support its claims, HUL is running a small ticker in its new ad campaign for Rin which says, ?Attested by independent labs.? Incidentally, HUL has recently filed a case against P&G for its new ad for Tide Naturals in Chennai High Court for ?misleading? consumers.

According to industry sources, P&G is looking at many options to counter HUL?s bold claim in Rin?s new ad film. ?The company may launch a fresh ad campaign to counter HUL?s claims. Or it may seek legal help to take on HUL,? said an analyst based in Mumbai.

When contacted, a spokesperson from P&G said, ?We are truly encouraged by the huge and spontaneous response from our consumers (online and direct) in support of our brand. Tide is the leading mid-tier detergent brand & one of the fastest growing laundry brands in India. The brand?s promise is backed by extensive research by P&G?s scientific team of over 1700 scientists and researchers worldwide.? However, P&G was reluctant to comment on its future plans.

According to HUL, the latest advertisement of Rin brings alive the superior whiteness delivery of Rin vis-?-vis competing brands in the market. ?This advertisement reinforces the promise to Rin consumers that Rin delivers superior whiteness. This claim is based on laboratory tests done through globally accepted protocols in independent third party laboratories. Rin is a household detergent brand and is used by millions of consumers across India for its promise and delivery of superior whiteness since its launch in 1969,? said a company spokesperson.

As per AC Nielsen data, HUL on a sequential monthly basis has gained 150 basis points in volume share (in laundry) from August 2009 (27.4% share) to Jan 2010 (28.9%).