Coles and Nurofen have come out big “winners” from the fifth annual ‘Shonky Awards’.

The Shonkys, an initiative of Choice magazine, recognise brands that have engaged in misleading marketing.

Coles’ wildly successful ‘Feed your family for under $10′ promotion featuring celebrity chef Curtis Stone (incredible TVC below) was hailed as an ingenious scam. 

“The deal claims you can feed four people for less than $10,” reads a release by Choice. “The catch is you have to already happen to have some of the ingredients in your pantry – which arent included in the price! If you include the uncosted pantry items (including 3/4 of a bottle of wine) in Curtis $7.76 Coq au vin, it would actually cost more than $30.”

Nurofen also came under fire for its varied packaging. Nurofen markets several branded ‘targeted pain’ versions of the product, including ‘Tension Headache’, ‘Backpain’, and ‘Period Pain’, but the ingredients are identical to regular Nurofen.

However, a spokesperson for Nurofen producer Reckitt Benckiser says the branding is important.

“To assist consumers in choosing the analgesic more appropriate for them, Reckitt Benckiser introduced the indication-specific Nurofen range.”

“The packaging is designed to help with the ease of selection, especially when faced with a multitude of different pain relievers on the pharmacy shelf.”

Choice argues that the branding wouldn’t be as big an issue if Nurofen had uniform pricing. Currently, Choice reports, “the targeted painkillers are almost twice as expensive” as the regular but identical Nurofen product.

The Commonwealth Bank also picked up a gong for its Awards credit card, which fails to rack up many frequent flyer points; extra virgin olive oils, that aren’t very virginal; and those awesome power balance bracelets, that don’t really balance the body.