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ASCI launches campaign in India to combat "misleading advertising"
Date: 04/01/2010
The Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI), the self-regulatory body of the Indian advertising industry, has launched a national campaign to address misleading advertising. Through this movement, ASCI aims to encourage Indian consumers to report any kind of misleading ads to the Consumer Complaints Council.
The campaign aims to popularise ASCI's role as the regulator of advertising in India. Anyone can register a complaint through the telephone number 022-23513982, or via email on [email protected], or online through ASCI's website, www.ascionline.org
ASCI has a rigorous Advertising Code that has withstood the test of time and a Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) that goes into the merits of every complaint. ASCI seeks to take stringent actions against misleading, dishonest and indecent advertisements. Rulings made by ASCI have the force of the law behind them now that ASCI's Advertising Code is part of the Cable TV Act's ad code. Therefore, any TV ad against whom a complaint has been upheld by ASCI must either be modified or withdrawn.
Consumers are also being encouraged to refer to the ASCI Code for regulation that is available on the website both in English and in Hindi.
ASCI's campaign consists of print and television advertisements, hoardings, banners and posters. ASCI officials have also started giving lectures and presentations at schools and colleges to introduce the campaign and garner support from the country's youth.
ASCI is a self-regulatory voluntary organisation of the advertising industry. The role and functioning of the ASCI and its Consumer Complaints Council is in dealing with complaints received from consumers and industry, against advertisements that are considered as false, misleading, indecent, illegal, leading to unsafe practices, or unfair to competition, and consequently in contravention of the ASCI Code for Self-Regulation in Advertising.
Leading TV channels, newspapers and other media are expected to carry the ads pro bono to show their commitment to the self regulation movement in India.
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WFA fully supports the work ASCI is doing to ensure consumers benefit from legal, decent, honest and truthful advertising. For more information on the global work WFA does to support advertising self-regulation please contact Malte Lohan [email protected].
