80% advertisers comply with ASCI code
The agency that monitors advertisements in Indian media has received 187 complaints in 2010-11, of which 104 were upheld
Almost 80% of advertisers in India comply with the codes set by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The compliance rate has improved to 80% from 71% during the past five years, according to ASCI.
The independent agency that monitors advertisements in Indian media has received 187 complaints in 2010-11, of which 104 were upheld. Of this, 85 advertisers complied, according to ASCI. In 2006-07, ASCI had received 140 complaints; of which 78 were upheld with 56 advertisers reportedly complied.
The compliance rate could be higher than the reported figure as many advertisers do not confirm ASCI in writing though they do comply with the ASCI decision, said Sam Balsara, past chairman, ASCI.
ASCI addresses consumer complaints through its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC). The agency tracks only advertisement content, and takes action on misleading, offensive, indecent or vulgar advertisements.
Interestingly, more than 60% of the complaints were filed by competitors across industries, according to Nandini Chopra, partner & head (FDCG), KPMG. Chopra was part of the team that has prepared the whitepaper titled “Self Regulation of Advertising in India: A Critical Analysis” that was published by industry body Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) national committee on marketing, on Monday. Besides KMPG, Amarchand Mangaldas and AZB and Partners were knowledge partners.
However, number of complaints received during 2010-11 in India is much lower than the developed nations. While there were just 187 cases filed in India, there were 1,067 complaints in Canada, 792 in New Zealand, 521 in Australia, according to the CII document.
This is mainly because of lack of awareness, said Balsara. ASCI has been taking several initiatives to spread awareness, especially in smaller towns and rural areas.
To strengthen its monitoring mechanism, ASCI had, in May this year, started National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS) in co-operation with AdEx, which is a division of TAM Media Research. NAMS monitors about 1,500 newly released advertisements on television and 45,000 print advertisements each months, according to the CII document. NAMS mainly tracks advertisements in sectors including automobiles, banking, financial services, insurance, fast moving consumer goods, consumer durables, educational institutions, healthcare products and services, telecom and real estate.
Balsara said resolutions of complains should be fast-tracked that sometimes get delayed due to legal hassles. However, the agency is evaluating a different model to address the issue. Advertisements, if complained, would be suspended until ASCI takes the final decision, he added.
CII whitepaper has suggested giving more teeth to ASCI so that the agency could take necessary actions against misleading advertisements. But, the government authorities concerned should support ASCI, the document mentioned.