A radio advertisement regarding new smart technology which is said to be capable of doing a health assessment by measuring blood pressure came under the spotlight by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) following a complaint by a member of the public.

The commercial features Afrikaans dialogue between “Johan” and “clever Werner” of Momentum. Werner proceeds to promote the advertiser’s new smart technology with a “selfie video”. Werner notes that this technology measures heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen, and stress levels on your smartphone.

The complainant submitted that smartphone applications, such as the one promoted, do not “measure” blood pressure. They can only calculate it by using data provided. It is dangerous to claim that this application can “measure” high pressure, as mistakes could lead to death, the complaint read.

The advertiser explained that its application relies on smartphone-enabled remote photoplethysmography, a technology that estimates vital signs— including blood pressure— based on subtle changes in skin colouration detected via the camera. This technology is not speculative or experimental; it has been widely used in clinical environments for years, it said.

The advertiser explained that it has partnered with an international provider who operates on the cutting edge of this technology. It said the advertised service allows customers to gain insights into their vital signs, and it (the advertiser) has taken care not to promote this as a substitute for a medical device or clinical diagnosis.

The directorate, in giving the green light to the advertisement, stressed that its decision should not be interpreted as expressing a view on the advertiser’s technology. It can only determine whether the communication used to advertise such technology is possibly misleading, dishonest, or irresponsible in a way that the Code of Advertising Practice seeks to prevent.

It pointed out that the dispute is about the wording used in this commercial and not the technology on which the advertiser relies.

The complainant objected to the term “measure” used and said that the smartphone app does no measuring and merely calculates or tracks blood pressure based on certain data.

The directorate agreed that this would not constitute a “measurement” as much as it would constitute a report or the tracking of one’s blood pressure.

However, from the advertiser’s submissions, it would appear that its app does not simply track or report one’s blood pressure but actually uses remote photoplethysmography to calculate and return a blood pressure reading.

While true that this is not the same means of measurement that people have become accustomed to, such as inflating and deflating a cuff around the arm, it could reasonably be said that this constitutes a “measurement,” as live readings and measurements are taken in real-time, the ARB stated.

It added that, contrary to the complainant’s submissions, this does not appear to simply be the reporting or prediction of blood pressure readings but an actual measurement using different technology to measure blood flow.

“From this perspective, it is hard to reason that the commercial misleads people for the reasons advanced by the complainant,” the ARB said.

There is nothing in the commercial that suggests that this evaluation replaces a doctor’s assessment or opinion; it is advertised as a tool that will enable an assessment for the purposes of applying for a discount on premiums, the ARB found.

zelda.venter@inl.co.za

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