Digital media primary source of violations: ASCI report

The Advertising Standards Council of India has released its half-yearly report (April-September) which claims that there's a 34% increase in complaints received as compared to the same period last year. 

 

Between April and September 2023, ASCI received complaints against 4,491 ads, as compared to 2,935 last year.

 

Of these, ASCI processed 3,501 ads. 564 (16%) were flagged as potential direct violations of the law, which represents a 22% increase over the previous year. 35% of the total ads processed were not contested and were promptly withdrawn or modified. 

 

 

47% of ads were found violative of the ASCI Code and the advertisements were recommended to be withdrawn or modified. 2% of complaints were dismissed.

 

Healthcare continues to be the most violative sector, constituting 21% of all processed ads, followed by classical education and personal care at 18% each.

 

 

Digital media remained the primary source of violations at 79%. Print media and television contributed 17% and 3%, respectively, while other mediums accounted for 2% of the reported violations. On digital, 99.4% of advertisements processed for influencer guidelines were found to be in violation. 

 

75.4% of complaints were initiated suo-motu by ASCI, while consumer complaints comprised 21.3% of the total complaints.

 

Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary-general, ASCI, said, “ASCI remains committed to addressing the challenges posed by digital advertising. All stakeholders need to come together to tackle the issue of online safety of consumers given that they spend high amounts of time there, and where there is a proliferation of objectionable advertising. Our constant vigilance of the online space helps call out the advertisements and brands that violate the ASCI code requiring ads to be truthful, decent and safe. We hope that the various sectors recognise the breaches and commit to more responsible advertising.”