The Role and Functioning
of the ASCI & its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) in
dealing with Complaints received from Consumers and Industry,
against Ads which are considered as False, Misleading, Indecent,
Illegal, leading to Unsafe practices, or Unfair to competition,
and consequently in contravention of the ASCI Code for Self-Regulation
in Advertising.
ASCI is a voluntary self-regulatory
council, registered as a not-for-profit Company under
section 25 of the Indian Cos. Act. The sponsors of the
ASCI, who are its principal members, are firms of considerable
repute within Industry in India, and comprise Advertisers,
Media, Ad. Agencies and other Professional /Ancillary
services connected with advertising practice.
The ASCI is not a Government
body, nor does it formulate rules for the public or for
the relevant industries. The Purpose and the Mission
of the ASCI is spelt out clearly in the literature provided.
You will appreciate that
if an AD is to be reviewed for its likely impact on the
sensibilities of individual viewers of TV, or readers
of press publications, we require to convey to the Advertiser
concerned, the substantial issues raised in the complaint,
in the exact context of the specific Ad, as conveyed
by the perception of the complainant, and to elicit the
appropriate response by way of comments from the Advertiser.
Only then will the CCC, of the ASCI, be
in a position to deliberate meaningfully on the issues
involved, and to arrive at a fair and objective conclusion,
which would stand the scrutiny of all concerned with the
right to freedom of expression, and the freedom of consumers
to choose the products /services made available to them
in the market-place.
For this we require in each case a clearly
readable copy or clipping of the Ad under complaint, with
full particulars of name and date of publication, or a
printout of an Ad or promotion on a Website or in case
of a T.V. Commercial, the channel, date and time or programme
of airing, and a description of the contents of the TVC,
along with a hard copy of the complete complaint preferably
signed by the complainant.
As a policy we do not disclose
the identity of the complainant to the Advertiser.
The ASCI receives and processes complaints
against Ads, from a cross section of consumers, the general
public and Industry, in the interests of all those who
rely on advertising as a commercial communication, and
this covers individuals, practitioners in advertising,
advertiser firms, media, ad. agencies, and ancillary services
connected with advertising.
In the case of complaints which were Upheld
by the CCC, during the past year, it may interest you to
know that over 80% of such Ads have been withdrawn or modified
appropriately by the Advertisers/Agencies involved, and
the concerned Media have also confirmed that they would
not carry such offending Ads/TVC.
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