The Role of the Media – Awareness of Self-Regulation in Advertising as administered by the ASCI: In view of the low number of complaints being received currently, your Council launched an Audio Visual promotion campaign, for drawing viewer attention to commonly experienced misleading and objectionable advertising, which lowers the credibility of advertising viewed by the general public.

Three Industry TVCs were developed on - (1) Indecency - Chapter II of the Code, (2) Over claim – Chapter I.4, (3) Children being induced in dangerous behaviour – Chapter III.2. The airing of these TVCs commenced from 19th August 2006, and were aired on several channels – Aaj Tak, Awaaz, CNBC TV18, CNN IBN, Eenadu, ETV Gujarati, ETV Marathi, ETV Urdu, ETV Oriya, ETV UP, ETV MP, ETV Bihar, ETV Rajasthan, Sony TV, Star TV, Star Utsav, Star Plus, & Zee TV, Zee News, Zee Cinema (all ASCI members), and also on Doordarshan, Exchange4Media, India TV, U Music, and NDTV (non-members). Your Council thanks the channels for airing these Ads at no charge to the ASCI.

The Council thanks Mr. Arvind Sharma (Leo Burnett) who arranged for the production of all the TV Ads. The cost of production and supply of TV Ads – material, was met from contributions received from your Council’s members (16) and non-members (1), for which the Council is grateful.

Meeting with Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC): In the first week of December 2006, an Inter-active session was held for CIABC members (10 attended), IBF (1) and your Council (2).

The purpose of the meeting was the recent developments in Self-Regulation in Advertising of Liquor/Alcohol Beverages in India, and your Council’s experience of voluntary Self-Regulation in Advertising, in general and specific to liquor/alcohol beverages – over the past 6 to 8 years.

The outcome of this session was that the CIABC members would consider supporting your Council through new memberships, and would study the case material on complaints decided by your Council, over these years, as provided to them. They would feel free, with no obligation, to consult with the ASCI Secretariat on issues of mutual concern. It was decided that your Council would send to CIABC, periodically, the case particulars on Complaints which were Upheld against Ads associated with Alcohol Brand Names, with details of the CCC decisions.

Consumer Education Research Centre (CERC)-EU Commission Seminar, in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata: In view of the adverse impact on your Council’s role and functions in Self-Regulation of Advertising content, which the CERC proposed formation of Ministry of Consumer Affairs sponsored Advertisements Regulatory Authority was likely to have, your Council provided pertinent references in favour of Self-Regulation, to those concerned with presenting and supporting the essentiality and benefits of Self-Regulation in Advertising, within Industry, for Consumers as well as Advertising Practitioners.

ASCI Inter-active Session/Workshop - Advertising of Foods & Beverages: Three sessions were held at your Council’s Conference Room (from January to March 2007) attended by a total of 33 participants (all representatives of 21 food sector related ASCI members). The purpose was to set up a mechanism and establish a dialogue with marketers of Foods and Beverages, for enhanced Self-Regulation of advertising of certain categories of processed Foods and Beverages, targeted at children and pre-teens. The focus was on Obesity, associated with specific chronic non-communicable diseases (cardiac, metabolic), believed to have given rise to a pandemic in the Western world, as a result of unhealthy eating patterns and dietary imbalances, which may find its way to Asia, of which India is very much a vulnerable part.

The guidelines agreed by ASCI member’s participants, for Intra-corporate observance, will now be considered by the Board of your Council, for conversion into specific provisions to be included in the ASCI Code for Self-Regulation in Advertising, in a meaningful manner. Initially this would serve as guidelines for the CCC in deliberations on relevant complaints against Ads for Foods and Beverages.

Status of Legal Cases against your Council: Unfair Trade Practice Enquiry (UTPE) filed before MRTPC by Vicco Laboratories against ASCI in May 2000: Since the Complainant had filed an application for conducting the admission and denial in the said matter, ASCI had decided to file an additional affidavit to bring on record the subsequent developments recognizing ASCI’s role and responsibility. This matter listed for hearing in November 2006, was adjourned for admission and denial of documents, owing to the Petitioners Application praying for allowance of submission and denial of documents. Again the matter listed for hearing in March 2007 was adjourned since the counsel for the Complainant stated that the documents filed by ASCI can be proved during trial and no admission denial of the same need to be carried out. This matter listed for hearing in April 2007 has again been adjourned to September 2007, for cross examination of ASCI.

Suit filed before Delhi High Court by J.K. Industries against ASCI in July 2004: The Court allowed the application for restoration filed by the Plaintiff subject to payment of costs. The matter was listed for hearing in July 2006 (for admission/denial of documents), in November 2006 (for framing of issues), in January 2007 (for framing of issues and arguments on the injunction application) which was again adjourned to April 2007, at which time the matter has been listed for final arguments in September 2007.

Recent Developments – April to June 2007: Recognition of your Council at Global levels: The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) at its Global Advertising Summit held in Toronto in mid April 2007 expressed its appreciation of the ‘vibrant well-established functioning of the self-regulatory role’ of your Council, duly supported by the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and other associations of advertising practitioners in India, and recommended your Council’s voluntary self-regulatory model, as recognized by the GOI, for adoption by other Self-Regulatory Organisations (SROs) in emerging economies and developing countries.

With a similar purpose in view, the Advertising Education Forum (AEF), the Global organization concerned with advertising to Children and Literacy in advertising for the benefit of school children, has undertaken to circularize its members worldwide, on your Council’s initiatives in extending voluntary Self-Regulation in Advertising to the marketing and communication of Foods and Beverages, particularly those directed at children and pre-teens.

Broadcast Content Code/Guidelines by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B), Govt. of India, New Delhi: The release of “Self-Regulatory Guidelines for the Broadcast Services” for Radio and TV programs and Ads, is being finalized by the I&B Ministry, for which the implications on the ASCI would need to be reviewed subsequently. The draft Guidelines issued by the I&B Ministry has ASCI and its CCC being delegated the primary responsibility for regulating advertising content for TV and Radio, which is further recognition of the effective self-regulatory work the Council is doing. A delegation of Board Members met the I&B Secretary, to bring out ASCI’s concerns and recommendations on the draft Guidelines and subsequently the Board’s Representative to the I&B’s Committee charged to revise the program and Ad codes/guidelines under the The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and its Rules, has sent your Council’s response on the draft Guidelines to the I&B Secretary.