ASCI upholds 34 ads in 4-month period

ASCI upholds 34 ads in 4-month period

ASCI

MUMBAI: The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has upheld complaints against 34 advertisements for the four-month period starting November.

The CCC, meanwhile, let go remaining 19 adverts as their claims were substantiated.

The majority of upheld ads were either removed or discontinued by the advertisers; the remaining were modified after the ASCI directive.

The complaints received against Pernod Ricard‘s Royal Stag advertisement was related to surrogate advertising of an alcohol product during a cricket match, which led to the discontinuation of the advertisement.

Similarly, Sab Miller India (Hayward & Hayward 5000) and United spirits (Mc Dowell‘s) both violated the Cable TV Network Rules and ASCI code on Surrogate Advertising, thereby resulting in the ads being withdrawn.

The complaints received on advertisements of HUL, Procter & Gamble, L‘Oreal, Dabur, Dish TV, Kent RO Systems and Shree Maruti Herbal questioned the leadership comparisons or comparative benefits claimed by these brands in their advertisements with similar products available in the market.

Consequently, appropriate modifications were made in the advertisement or the advertisement itself was discontinued.

However, in a specific case of ITC‘s Vivel TVC, the portrayal and projection of women with dark skin brought it under CCC purview resulting in the discontinuation of the advertisement.

The American Tourister‘s usage of the tagline "Survive Istanbul, Survive the World" marred Turkey‘s reputation as a tourist destination, and hence clashed with ASCI‘s code under Chapter III.1 (b).

As Naaptol‘s Biomagnetic Titanium Bracelet didn‘t respond to CCC, it invoked chapters I.1 and I.5 of ASCI‘s code, which concludes that in the absence of comments from the advertisers, the claims made by the advertiser wouldn‘t be substantiated.

Suitable modifications were made in both these advertisements, post CCC‘s intervention.

Dainik Bhaskar‘s and Pudhari‘s advertisement came under the CCC scanner as a result of complaints made on its claims and the advertisements were withdrawn.

TVS Motors had to modify the TVC, in which some of the stunts were shown in normal traffic conditions depicting the power or capacity of the advertised vehicle product. The advertisement contravened Clause `C‘ of the ASCI Guidelines on Advertisements for Automotive Vehicles.

In the automobile sector, Hyundai Motors and Ceat were also brought under the discretion of the CCC. Ceat‘s TVC has been modified due to the dangerous practices displayed in its TVC. As for Hyundai, the TVC has been withdrawn altogether.

In the education sector, two complaints were made against T.I.M.E. -MBA-CET 2010 advertisement. The advertiser substantiated one of the claims while appropriate changes were made with regards to the second complaint, since the claim could not be substantiated.