Et eller annet har tydeligvis skjedd i det siste, for plutselig strømmer det en mengde nye lesere til innleggene om Power Balance. Flere dager i strekk. Så da kan vi jo benytte anledningen til å gi siste oppdatering fra en annen kant av verden.
I Australia har nemlig reklamen gått et par hakk lenger i vaset enn hva jeg kan huske å ha sett her, og blant annet lovet at
“the benefits are clear: faster synaptic response(brainfunction), enhanced muscle response (in both fast and slow twitch tissues), increased stamina (better oxygen uptakeandrecovery),more flexibility(faster recovery),and vastly improved gravitational balance.
Det har gjort at produktet kom under domenet til Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration.
De kommenterte blant annet følgende i sin konklusjon (pdf):
the Panel noted that the claims made in the advertisements were extraordinary to such a degree that no reasonable retailer could publish them on the basis of assurances from the product sponsor, without requesting evidence that such claims could lawfully be made about the product.
Slik dokumentasjon har som vi vet aldri vært gitt. Erstatningen har vært en versjon av «anvendt kinesiologis» liksomtester for det meste av «overfølsomheter», før-etter vitnesbyrd som benytter rekkefølgeeffekt kombinert med overtroiske og/eller godt betalte idrettsutøvere som mistolker placeboeffekt for produktets angivelige.
Konklusjonen er dermed alt annet enn uventet, men den er sitert i litt lengde her fordi den også adresserer kjernepåstander som finnes i det meste av reklamen om fleksibilitet, balanse og styrke. Det gjør at det kan bli interessant å se hvordan det nå skal markedsføres:
The Panel requests Power Balance Australia Pty Ltd, Auspac Sources Australia Pty Ltd, Evelyn Faye Nutrition, and Complete Fitness, in accordance with subregulation 42ZCAI(1) of the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990:
a) to withdraw their respective advertisements from further publication;
b) to withdraw any representations that the advertised product can restore balance and equilibrium, has effects on the “electro-magnetic balance within the human body”, restores the body’s “electrical balance”, has effects on ion exchange within the body, causes faster synaptic response, affects brain function, causes enhanced muscle response, increases stamina, improves oxygen uptake, improves recovery, improves flexibility, or improves “gravitational balance”, together with any other representations that the advertised product is for therapeutic use;
c) not to use the representations in (b) above in any other advertisement*;
d) where the representation has been provided to other parties such as retailers or website publishers, and where there is a reasonable likelihood that the representation has been published or is intended to be published by such parties, to advise those parties that the representation(s) should be withdrawn;
e) to arrange for publication on their respective websites of retractions in the form of, and in accordance with, the conditions set out in the attachment to this determination
Det er mer også for den som er interessert.
(Via omtale hos Victorian Skeptics og Erik Arnesen.)