ASCI upholds complaints against 23 advertisements

Consumer Complaints Council received a total of 30 complaints in August.

The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has upheld complaints against 23 out of 30 advertisements for sending across misleading information in August. The advertisements pertain to different domains such as education, healthcare and FMCG. The spike in complaints is the result of National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS), which aims to monitor misleading advertisements in different industries.

The upheld ads include brands such as Hindustan Unilever, HT Media, Divya Bhaskar Group, CavinKare, TVC Skyshop, Global Heart Foundation, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology and EMDI Institute of Media and Communication.

Complaints were registered against Hindustan Unilever's Rin detergent powder and Pepsodent Germicheck Magnet ads. The complainants stated how Rin's television ad, which stated "only Rin has yellow fighters that brighten dull yellow clothes,"

should have scientific proof. After looking through the data provided by the advertiser, CCC felt that the ad was false and misleading as it is not the only detergent to do so.

The Divya Bhaskar Group got into trouble for claiming Divya Marathi as the 'No. 1 daily by circulation', which was found to have no reference to source. In another case, the group stated how its readership was double that of competitors in Bhatinda city, which was clearly not the case according to the IRS data. Similar was the case in Patiala, too.

FMCG major CavinKare got into trouble for its claim that Fairever Fairness contained a natural fairness system including saffron, milk and wheat germ oil. Since scientific evidence regarding the claim was missing, CCC upheld the complaint.

The M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology ad, which announced 100 per cent placement in 2011-12, said the complaint, exaggerated the figure. The complaint against Sistema Shyam Teleservices' MTS Mblaze states the its claim of being the fastest internet service provider in the country lacks substantial evidence. The CCC also looked into seven print ads in the same month but these were not upheld as they complied with ASCI's code and guidelines.

Other companies that got into trouble with CCC were Sigma Institute of Management and Technology, Brad Enterprises, Telebrands India, Nirmeeti Healthcare, Escorts, Ultratech India, Lida Biotech, NIFE Institute of Engineering, Bhopal Sahakari Dugdh Sangh Maryadit and Mangalayatan University.