Advertisers, ad agencies need to submit ‘no misleading claims’ declaration
No ad will be now permitted to run on TV, print or the internet without a valid Self-Declaration Certificate on or after June 18, 2024
The Supreme Court has issued a directive, saying all advertisers and advertising agencies must submit a ‘Self-Declaration Certificate’ before publishing or broadcasting any advertisement.
Following the directive, the MIB has introduced a new feature on the Broadcast Seva Portal for TV and Radio advertisements, and on the Press Council of India’s portal for Print and Digital/Internet advertisements.
The self-declaration certificate is to certify that the advertisement:
(i) Does not contain misleading claims, and
(ii) Complies with all relevant regulatory guidelines, including those stipulated in Rule 7 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 and the Norms of Journalistic Conduct of Press Council of India.
Advertisers must provide proof of uploading the Self-Declaration Certificate to the relevant broadcaster, printer, publisher, or electronic media platform for their records. As per the Supreme Court’s directive, no advertisement will be permitted to run on television, print media, or the internet without a valid Self-Declaration Certificate
The certificate, signed by an authorised representative of the advertiser/advertising agency, needs to be submitted through these portals.
The portal will be activated on 4th June, 2024. All advertisers and advertising agencies must obtain the Self-Declaration Certificate for new advertisements that will be issued/telecast/aired/published on or after 18th June, 2024.
A buffer period of two weeks has been kept to provide sufficient time for stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the process of self-certification. Ongoing advertisements do not require self-certification currently.
To avoid any disruptions in their campaigns, advertisers and agencies are advised to familiarise themselves with the portals and the requirements during the buffer period provided until the 18th of June, 2024.”
As per a press statement by MIB, “The Hon’ble Supreme Court directive is a step towards ensuring transparency, consumer protection, and responsible advertising practices. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting urges all advertisers, broadcasters and publishers to adhere to this directive diligently.”
Navneet Kumar Sehgal, the new Prasar Bharati Chairman said, “Our motto is that we should give free sports events to the whole world because no other channel does this. And in the same direction, we should keep the production quality good as well. We should make the games reach the last corner so there will be more interest in sports in the world.”
“In the coming time, we are engaging with different bodies like we are working with the Rugby Association, the Yoga League, and more. This is so that our platform becomes a lively platform,” he added.
Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General, ASCI, stated, “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has established new features to their portals to enable advertisers to obtain the self-declaration certificate to comply with the Supreme Court directives. Given the vast number of creatives that now need certification, this is a challenge that advertisers, agencies and media owners will need to gear up for.
ASCI's Advertising Advice service can support advertisers be compliant with the ASCI Code, which forms a key part of the Advertising Code under the Cable TV Network (Regulation) Act. This would help advertisers be more confident of their self-declarations which are now mandated for print. TV and Internet ads. Whether it is small or big advertisers, no ads would now be permitted on any media and channel without such a certification.
