MAM
Education, healthcare topped list of misleading ads in 2020: ASCI
MUMBAI: Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has said that the third quarter of 2020 witnessed a surge in number of consumer complaints after an initiative driven quarter by the Ad industry regulator to increase consumer awareness.
Between October and December, the ASCI team received 1,885 complaints originating from 1,230 advertisements, the regulatory body said in its Complaints Analysis Report – Q3 FY (2020-21). It noted that the Industry focused initiatives it led for consumer protection and streamlining of processes for effective self-regulatory practices had had a high impact.
251 of the 1,230 advertisements were either withdrawn or amended by the advertisers on receipt of communication from ASCI. From the remaining advertisements, ASCI’s independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) upheld complaints against 902 advertisements. Of these, a whopping 582 or almost 65 per cent ads belonged to the education sector and 128 from healthcare, 64 from food and beverages, 25 from personal care, 99 from other categories. Complaints against 77 advertisements were not upheld as these advertisements were not found to be in violation of the ASCI code.
Some of the key themes of false claims or code violations that emerged during the quarter October-December were:
– Education ads with false claims of job guarantees, placements, etc.
-Healthcare ads with false claims about Covid2019 cures and preventions advertising.
Other complaints included those against brands issuing comparative advertisements while prominent cases against honey brands were also in the spotlight. During the third quarter, complaints regarding surrogate advertising also picked up post the IPL.
In October 2020, ASCI introduced the Covid2019 advisory for advertisers, to protect consumers from being misled during the pandemic. Soon after, in November 2020, ASCI introduced guidelines for online gaming for “real-money winnings”, to protect audiences from risks associated with games involving real money. The guidelines received much appreciation and backing from the ministry of information and broadcasting. Earlier in 2020, the council had also introduced guidelines for usage of awards/rankings in advertisements by brands. Early September, it expanded its national Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS) to add digital advertising to its suo motu screening. More than 3,000 digital platforms are being currently tracked by the regulatory body.
The initiatives sparked conversations in the media, on social media and various other forums, which further helped drive consumer education and awareness. Additional impact of the constant buzz on various channels was the spike in the number of complaints processed by ASCI for the quarter.
Overall in 2020, ASCI looked into 6,527 complaints that were registered against 3,315 advertisements, of which 2,357 were upheld. Education (1,062) and healthcare (827) topped the list for the year as well. Some of the numbers for other categories, 117 food and beverage advertisements were complained, 63 against personal care, 17 violations of guidelines for brand extension, 22 against real estate, 10 against visa and immigration services and 239 against ads from other categories.
ASCI secretary general Manisha Kapoor said: “The third quarter of the financial year involved initiatives leading to positive impact on the industry and stakeholders. The quarter recorded the highest numbers in terms of complaints processing, compared to the previous two quarters which were a direct outcome of the pandemic. We hope to continue this momentum in the year ahead.”
Brands
ConfirmTkt rolls out 1 per cent cashback for summer train trips
Unlimited wallet rewards valid till 31 May boost holiday travel
GURUGRAM: ConfirmTkt has announced a limited period 1 per cent cashback offer aimed at making summer train travel a little lighter on the wallet.
The authorised B2C online train ticketing platform, part of the Ixigo Group, will credit 1 per cent cashback directly into users’ ConfirmTkt Wallet for every train ticket booked through its app. The offer runs until 31 May 2026, neatly covering the peak summer holiday rush.
There is no cap on how much cashback users can earn during the offer window. The credited amount can be redeemed on the next train booking within 90 days, making it particularly useful for families planning return journeys, students heading home for the holidays, or travellers ticking off multiple destinations in one season.
Importantly, the process is automatic. Cashback is credited after booking, with no codes to enter and no hoops to jump through, keeping the reward simple and seamless.
Ixigo Trains and ConfirmTkt CEO Dinesh Kumar Kotha, said summer remains one of the busiest travel seasons in India, as families, students and professionals take to the rails to reconnect and explore. He noted that by keeping the cashback uncapped and redemption straightforward, the company aims to help travellers extract greater value from both outbound and return trips during this high demand period.
Beyond the seasonal offer, ConfirmTkt continues to position itself as a tech driven, customer first platform. Its features include high accuracy waitlist prediction, nearby trains and alternate travel plan suggestions when seats are scarce, live train status updates, seamless PNR tracking, instant refunds, seat availability alerts and UPI enabled payments. Users can also order food on train for delivery to their seats at selected stations.
Taken together, the platform’s tools are designed to reduce uncertainty and add a layer of reassurance to rail journeys. With this summer cashback in play, ConfirmTkt is not just helping travellers book tickets, but giving them a small return ticket on their spending too.
