Reliance, Idea pulled up by ASCI for misleading ads

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has pulled up 15 companies, including telecom ones, for running misleading ad campaigns during July to October this year.

During the said period, the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI found 15 advertisers, including Reliance Communications and Idea Cellular, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) player Dabur and Elder Pharma and coaching centre Career Launcher, violating the council’s code.

Reliance Communications had to suspend a television commercial (TVC) as it failed to substantiate its claim “with comparative data of other mobile services” that the company is the “fastest mobile broadband service in India”. The company said it was making modifications in the TVC.

“RCom has already responded to ASCI and is making necessary modifications in the TVC,” a spokesperson from Reliance Communication said.

Another mobile operator, Idea Cellular, also had to modify its commercial, which showed people walking, while talking on mobile phones, as ASCI upheld complaint from consumers that it encouraged “the unsafe act of walking while talking on the mobile phone”.

“Some action sequences as depicted in the TVC, shows dangerous practices and manifest a disregard for safety without justifiable reason,” ASCI said.

Queries sent to Idea remained answered.

Dabur had to modify two of its TV commercials, which according to the CCC, were misleading. The two ads were that of Dabur Vatika shampoo, which claimed that the product “eliminates dandruff from first wash” and that of Dabur Lal Oil which said massaging with the oil “leads to doubly faster growth in babies”. The CCC found the claims were misleading.

Coaching centre Career Launcher’s campaign claiming “four out of five IIM call-getters in CAT’08 from Delhi and NCR” were its students was suspended as it was unsubstantiated. ASCI also found Elder Pharma’s campaign of showing a woman unbuttoning a shirt in an advertisement of deodorant ‘Fuel’ to be vulgar and it was asked to be modified.