ADVERTISING STANDARDS COUNCIL OF INDIA (ASCI)

 

The Advertising Standards Council of India

Advertising Standards Council of India is a self regulatory voluntary organization of the advertising industry. The Role and Functioning of the ASCI and its Consumer Complaint Council (CCC) in dealing with Complaints received from Consumers and Industry, against Advertisements which 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.

The Advertising Standards Council of India (1985) has adopted a Code for Self Regulation in Advertising. It is a commitment to honest advertising and to fair competition in the market place. It stands for the protection of the legitimate interests of consumers and all concerned with advertising – advertisers, media, advertising agencies and others who help in the creation or placement of advertising.

As the Code becomes increasingly accepted and observed proactively, three things will begin to happen.

1.      Fewer false, misleading claims

2.      Fewer unfair advertisements

3.      Increasing respectability

In India, as in several advanced economics, there is only ONE BODY for Self Regulation in Advertising – the ASCI, which is concerned with safeguarding the interests of consumers whilst monitoring / guiding the commercial communications of Practitioners in Advertising on behalf of advertisers, for advertisements carried by the Media, in their endeavors to influence buying decisions of the Consuming Public.

ASCI’s Mission

ASCI has one important goal: to maintain and enhance the public’s confidence in advertising. ASCI seeks to ensure that advertisements conform to its Code for Self Regulation which requires advertisements to be:

1.      Truthful and fair to consumers and competitors

2.      Within the bounds of generally accepted standards of public decency and propriety

3.      Not used indiscriminately for the promotion of products, hazardous or harmful to society or to individuals particularly minors, to a degree unacceptable to society at large

ASCI propagates its CODE and a sense of responsibility for its observance amongst advertisers, advertising agencies and other connected with the creation of advertising.

ASCI encourages the public to COMPLAIN (*) against advertisements with which they may be unhappy for any reason and ensures that each complaint receives a prompt and objective consideration by an impartial committee (CCC) which takes into account the view point of the advertise, and an appropriate decision is communicated to all concerned.

ASCI endeavors to achieve compliance with its decisions through reasoned persuasion and the power of public opinion. If an AD is to be reviewed for its likely impact on the sensibilities of individual viewers of TV, or readers of press publications, the Advertisers concerned is informed of substantial issues raised in the complaint, in the exact context of the specific advertisement, as conveyed by the perception of the complainant, and to elicit the appropriate response by way of comments from the Advertiser.

Only then will the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of the ASCI be in a position to deliberate meaningfully on the issues involved and to arrive at a fair and objective conclusion, which would stand the scrutiny of all concerned with the right to freedom of expression, and the freedom of consumers to choose the products / services made available to them in the market-place.

A clearly readable copy or clipping of the Ad under complaint, with full particulars of name and date of publication, or a printout of an Ad or promotion on a Website or in case of a TV commercial, the channel, date and time or programme of airing, and a description of the contents of the TVC, along with a hard copy of the complete complaint preferably signed by the complaint. The identity of the complaint to the Advertiser is not disclosed.

The Code of Advertising Practices

To ensure the truthfulness and honesty of representations and claims made:

1.      Advertisements must be truthful.

2.      Where advertising claims are expressly stated to be based on or supported by independent research or assessment, the source and date of this should be indicated in the advertisement.

3.      Advertisements should not contain any reference to any person, without due permission.

4.      Advertisements shall not distort facts nor mislead the consumer by means of implications or omissions.

5.      To ensure that advertisements are not offensive to generally accepted standards of Public Decency.

6.      To safeguard against the indiscriminate use of Advertising products hazardous to society

7.      No advertisement shall be permitted which:

a)      Tends to incite people to crime or to promote disorder and violence or intolerance

b)      Derides any race, caste, colour, creed or nationality

8.      Advertisements addressed to children shall not contain anything, whether in illustrations or otherwise, which might result in their physical, mental or moral harm or which exploits their vulnerability.

9.      Ads should not show children climbing or reaching dangerously to reach products or for any other purpose.

10.  Advertisements should contain nothing which is in breach of the law, or omit anything which the law requires.