355 advertisements found violating norms, education and healthcare sectors top the list
NEW DELHI: The Advertising Standards Council of India’s consumer complaints council upheld complaints against 355 advertisements of the more than 450 ads evaluated by it. The complaints were investigated in August and September.
Of the complaints upheld, 201 related to the education sector, 62 to the healthcare sector, 24 to the food and beverages category, 24 to personal care, seven violated BARC guidelines, and 37 were from the ‘others’ category.
Once the complaints are upheld, the advertisers are informed of the decision and are encouraged to pull out the advertisements.
In cases of non-compliance, the ministries concerned are informed. One of the most common reasons for upholding complaints was unsubstantiated claims in the education sector, such as providing “100 per cent placement”, “guaranteed immigration”, “No.1”.
This was followed by exaggeration of product efficacy and exploitation of consumers’ lack of knowledge, and violation of Guidelines for Celebrities in Advertising, BARC Guidelines, and Drugs and Magic Remedies regulations.
Several claims were misleading and were likely to lead to widespread disappointment to consumers, according to the ASCI.
