Celebs can now consult ASCI before endorsing ads

Indian celebrities, who endorse various brands and often land in soup over misleading claims or controversial storyline of the advertisements, can now seek advice from Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) before stepping into such ad campaigns.

Actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar have faced trouble over the past few years for endorsing either banned products (like tobacco) or hurting sentiments of some communities or boastful claims among others.  

ASCI, which is a self-regulatory body of advertisers, has now decided to offer consulting services to brand endorsers on a chargeable basis, to protect them from landing up on sticky wicket.

Under the initiative, named as “Endorser Due Diligence Service”, the ASCI’s panel of experts will study all technical and non-technical aspects of advertising campaigns and then advise them whether they should go ahead with doing the ads or not.

ASCI will charge Rs 75,000 for non-technical advice and Rs 1.9 lakh for technical advice that requires study of research papers etc on scientific claims.

ASCI already has been running consulting services for advertisers for the past year or so.

Confirming the development, Manisha Kapoor, Director General of ASCI, told e4m, “Our panel of experts include all eminent personalities from different domains such as IIT professor, lawyer, skin specialist and experts from advertising and media segment. Anyone who gets an offer for advertisement, celebrity or non-celebrity, can approach us to avail these services. The panel will give its report/advice within a week.”

Kapoor says that the initiative aims to help endorsers avoid landing in trouble later. “As per the law, endorsing something illegal doesn’t only invite financial penalty, but also a ban on doing any other ads. Most brand endorsers step into such troubles due to negligence and lack of knowledge about claims made in advertisements. With third party advice, they can avoid such complications.”

Getting ASCI’s advice will not be mandatory though, she clarifies.

Kapoor said, “Some agencies already offer these services. However, we decided to start our own advisory services because we have got the right expertise and experience in this domain. This  will also help advertisers as a lot of time and resources are wasted if an ad has to be retracted or corrected after being nailed by the authorities.”

When asked about “conflict of interests” in offering such services as third party when the ASCI is the ad regulatory as well, Kapoor insists that there is no conflict of interests at all.

Kapoor claimed, “Our regulatory body works independently without getting influenced by anyone.  The advisory body will be a different entity and different set of excerpts with no overlapping issues.”

She also denies the suggestion that workload of the regulatory body will reduce as people will get services.