Regulatory body issues new ad norms for celebrities

Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the ad industry’s self-regulatory body, has released a set of guidelines for celebrity endorsements that bring personalities, including doctors, authors, activists and educationists, into the celebrity category.

The guidelines aim to clamp down on random or exaggerated claims made by celebrity advertising.

• The objective of this move is to protect consumer interest while encouraging celebrities and advertisers to refrain from endorsing misleading advertisements, especially of products or services which can cause serious financial loss or physical harm.

Background:

Celebrities have a strong influence on consumers and are guided by the choices they make or endorse. It’s important that both celebrities and advertisers are aware of the impact and power of advertising and therefore make responsible claims to promote products or services.

Important guidelines:

• From now on, celebrities will be held responsible for the claims made in ads in which they appear.
• Celebrities must do due diligence and ensure that the claims made in their endorsements are not misleading.
• The council puts the onus on the advertiser and the advertising agency to ensure that celebrity brand endorsers are aware of ASCI codes.
• Celebrities are also banned from endorsing “any advertisement of a product or treatment or remedy that is prohibited for advertising” under the Drugs & Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act and the Drugs & Cosmetic Act”.
• Celebrities are also banned from appearing in any ad in which “a product which by law requires a health warning is injurious to health” on its packaging or advertisement.
• If a celebrity seeks advice directly or through the agency from ASCI on whether the advertisement potentially violates any provisions of the ASCI code or not, then the he would be “considered as having completed due diligence”. However, ASCI’s Advertising Advice will not be construed as pre-clearance of the Advertisement.

Significance of this move:

Celebrities have been deployed by marketers to add credibility to their brand offering. These celebrities, however, have a huge responsibility to ensure that the products they endorse or feature in, are true to the claims made in those advertising messages. The guidelines will help in ensuring that claims made in advertising are not misleading, false or go unsubstantiated

About ASCI:

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), established in 1985, is committed to the cause of Self-Regulation in Advertising, ensuring the protection of the interests of consumers.

• ASCI was formed with the support of all four sectors connected with Advertising — Advertisers, Advertising Agencies, Media (including Broadcasters and the Press) and others like PR Agencies and Market Research Companies.
• ASCI is not a Government body, nor does it formulate rules for the public or for the relevant industries.