ASCI issues guidelines for celebrities endorsing products

The advertising industry watchdog Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has come up with a set of guidelines for celebrities endorsing products. As per the guidelines, celebrities are personalities from the field of entertainment and sports and also includes other well known personalities like doctors, authors, activists and educationists who gets compensation for appearing in advertisements.

Salient guidelines

• Celebrities must exercise due diligence to make sure that all description claims and comparisons made in the advertisements that they endorse are not misleading and deceptive.
• It will be the duty of the advertiser and the advertising agency to make sure that celebrities are aware about the ASCI guidelines.
• ASCI have barred celebrities to endorse product/treatment/remedy that is prohibited under The Drugs & Magic Remedies Act (Objectionable Advertisements) and the Drugs & Cosmetic Act.
• Celebrities should not endorse those products which by law require a health warning on its packaging or advertisement.
• Celebrities seeking the advice of ASCI to ascertain whether the advertisement potentially violates any provision of the ASCI code or not would be considered of having completed due diligence. Also, the advertising advice of ASCI cannot be construed as pre-clearance for an advertisement.

Advertising Standards Council of India

ASCI is a self regulatory, voluntary, non-governmental body of the advertising industry founded in 1985. The aim of ASCI is to enhance the public’s confidence in advertising and ensure that all advertising material is truthful, legal, honest, decent and not objectify women and fair.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2017