The decision was adopted after the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce carried out the corresponding administrative sanctioning investigation, in which it concluded that it sanctioned GRUPO COSSIO SAS, with a fine of SIX HUNDRED AND FORTY SMLMV, equivalent to $813,002,240 (EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTEEN MILLION TWO THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY PESOS M/CTE) for misleading advertising about its product called “Cossio Method”. The Superintendency considered that the advertising message transmitted was the promise of monetary profits in a certain time.
The investigation carried out by the entity was determined by the following terms: «What are you going to think in five months? When all those who did buy the course are covered in followers, in money,” and “I mean, forty-nine dollars can be a lot, obviously for some people, but they can literally get rid of that with their first video.” Such statements formed an objective message and reinforced the idea that in fact the “Cossio Method” helped to achieve wealth in a short time, a message that was reinforced with the image of the influencer YERFERSON COSSIO, in charge of advertising the product.
In that sense, according to the Superintendence, it was taken into account that Cossio violated the expectations created in approximately 23,300 people who acquired the “Method” using their emotional connection with the content creator and, reinforcing the idea that those who follow him on the networks have of obtaining the same results of success as the influencer, by imitating his behavior, adopting his habits or purchasing a product that he is advertising on his social networks. The above, supported by the articles 29 and 30 of Law 1480 of 2011.
