Most digital advertisements between April-September 2023 flouted guidelines, says ASCI
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has disclosed that most celebrities and influencers are not adhering to the disclosure norms for influencer advertising in digital media. In a recent report, ASCI found that a staggering 99.4% of advertisements examined between April and September 2023 violated these guidelines. During this time, the ad regulator processed 789 complaints related to influencer guidelines.
Healthcare sector most violative
The report identified the healthcare sector as the most frequent violator, accounting for 21% of all processed ads. Classical education and personal care came in second, each with 18%. Influencer cases made up 22% of the ads reviewed by ASCI. However, there was a 92% compliance rate with ASCI's recommendations in influencer cases, an improvement from the previous 86%. This means that in 92% of cases, influencers either corrected or removed posts that violated ASCI's guidelines.
Celebrities are failing to comply with disclosure label requirements
Several influencers and brands failed to meet disclosure label requirements. These include Amitabh Bachchan for Beyond Life NFT, Katrina Kaif for Reebok, Vidya Balan for Amazon Prime Video, Disha Patani for Ambrane India, and Tiger Shroff for ASICS India. Out of the 3,501 ads scrutinized by ASCI, a significant 79% of problematic ads were found online, while print and TV had 17% and 3% ad violations, respectively.
There has been an increase in public engagement
ASCI observed a 34% increase in complaints and a 27% increase in ads processed during the first half of 2023-2024 compared to the previous year. Of the 3,501 ads processed, 564 (16%) were flagged as potential direct violations of the law, marking a 22% increase from 2022. Consumer complaints made up 21.3% of total complaints, demonstrating the public's active role in upholding advertising standards.
