Only 12 of 332 ads related to Covid-19 pandemic found true, says Asci

In the financial year gone by (FY20-21), the Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) processed over 6,140 complaints regarding misleading ads. Ads that made Covid-related claims were also in focus and Asci, which is a self-regulatory body, found only 12 of such 332 ads to be scientifically correct.

The panel that tracked and verified the claims made by such advertisements included microbiologists.

From the first quarter since the pandemic started, following a directive from the Ministry of AYUSH that asked Asci to identify ads that violated its advisory dated April 1, 2020, the body escalated 237 objectionable ads to the ministry. While 164 of these ads complied and modified the untrue claims, 73 Covid-related ads needed further investigation and action by the ministry due to non-compliance.

Asci flagged ads of several categories such as paints, apparel, detergents, skin care, air conditioners, fans, water purifiers, plywood and laminates, supplements and food, all promising Covid-related benefit.

“In a period where consumer vulnerabilities were at an all-time high, many brands took unfair advantage of this, and tried to peddle their wares without establishing any robust evidence of their actual utility against the SARS Cov-2 virus,” said Manisha Kapoor, secretary general, Asci.

Besides Covid complaints, the Asci Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) also processed 1,406 complaints in the education sector, 285 against food and beverage advertisements and 147 related to personal care. In addition, 364 advertisements were found to be, prima facie, in violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act.

Overall, the regulatory body achieved a 97 per cent compliance rate from advertisers on its recommendations. Its independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) convened 37 times during the year and in September 2020, Asci tied up with TAM to monitor 3,000 digital platforms. It has since observed a rise in complaints related to online ads, both received from end consumers as well as taken up suo motu. In all 35 per cent of the advertisements looked into by the CCC were from the digital medium.

The pandemic year also saw a big jump in online gaming activities, promoting the body to issue guidelines for the sector. From January-March 2021, Asci processed 67 complaints related to online real money gaming.