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Tag: ASCI Guidelines

  • Hoopr-Budding Influencers ink partnership to ensure copyright-safe content

    Hoopr-Budding Influencers ink partnership to ensure copyright-safe content

    MUMBAI: India’s leading copyright-safe music platform, Hoopr, has partnered with Budding Influencers to address one of the most pressing challenges in content creation—copyright compliance. This strategic collaboration aims to provide creators with legal music solutions and educational resources, ensuring a seamless and ethical content production process.

    Many content creators unknowingly use copyrighted music, exposing themselves and their associated brands to legal risks. According to Hoopr’s research, 87 per cent of Indian influencers have used unlicensed music and faced copyright claims, leading to penalties, content takedowns, or strained brand relationships. A recent study by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) revealed that 69 per cent of the country’s top 100 digital influencers failed to meet disclosure guidelines, including those related to music usage. These figures highlight the urgent need for accessible and compliant music solutions.

    With social media marketing budgets surging and the Indian creator economy growing at a CAGR of 18 per cent year-on-year, the demand for copyright-safe music has never been greater. Through this collaboration, over 400,000 influencers from Budding Influencer’s network will gain access to Hoopr’s extensive library of copyright-safe music, allowing them to enhance their content without legal concerns. The partnership will also roll out educational initiatives to simplify copyright laws and promote the ethical use of music in digital content.

    Hoopr co-founder & CEO Gaurav Dagaonkar commented, “We are excited to join forces with Budding Influencers to tackle these critical issues in content creation. By offering premium copyright-safe music alongside valuable educational resources, we are fostering a safer and more innovative ecosystem for creators.”

    Budding Influencers co-founder & CMO Sanober Surani echoed this sentiment, “Copyright violations have long been a challenge for influencers and brands. I recall an instance where a creator unknowingly used copyrighted music in a campaign, leading to a legal notice for the brand. This highlighted the urgent need for accessible, compliant music solutions. We are thrilled to collaborate with Hoopr to equip our creators with high-quality, legally safe music.”

    This partnership underscores a shared commitment to democratising access to essential resources and fostering a sustainable creator economy. By tackling copyright-related challenges at their core, Hoopr and Budding Influencers are empowering creators to innovate freely, without the risk of legal repercussions.
     

  • ASCI fortifies guidelines for qualification of brand extension of restricted categories

    ASCI fortifies guidelines for qualification of brand extension of restricted categories

    Mumbai: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has updated its guidelines for ‘Qualification of Brand Extension-products and services’ under the restricted category prohibited from advertising by law. These modifications have been detailed in Chapter III Clause 3.6 (a) of the ASCI code, and specifically target brand extensions associated with restricted categories such as liquor and tobacco.

    While ASCI had in place specific guidelines for brand extension, which were modified a few months back, it was felt necessary to further strengthen these in view of mega-budget celebrity campaigns during high-profile sporting events in India. ASCI’s current guidelines provide for brand extensions to cross certain thresholds of business, investment or distribution criteria for them to be considered genuine extensions. ASCI has now added specific criteria also for advertising spends in relation to turnover of the said extension.

    Key Features of the New Code for Brand Extensions:

    1.    Advertising spends have to be in proportion to sales turnover of extension: ASCI has mandated that the advertising budget for genuine brand extensions of restricted master brands has to be commensurate with the extension’s sales turnover. The proportions for the ad budgets are capped at 200 per cent (ie. not more than 200 per cent) of the turnover in the first two years of launch of the extension, followed by 100 per cent (i.e. not more than 100 per cent) of revenue in the third year, 50 per cent in the fourth year, and 30 per cent thereafter. The advertising budget includes media expenditure across all forms of media in the previous 12 months, payments to celebrities for brand endorsements on an annualised basis, and the annual average money spent on advertising production for the brand extension in the previous three years.

    This measure will ensure a balanced approach to advertising investment in alignment with the extension’s sales performance over time.

    2.    Treatment of Variants under Brand Extension: For clarity, any variants launched under the brand extension will not be considered as a fresh extension. The original date of the first brand extension will apply.

    3.    Certification by Reputed CA Firms: To ensure genuine compliance, all evidence supporting the brand extension’s qualifications for advertising must be certified by a reputed and independent CA firm.

    4.    If a brand extension of a parent brand that is under one of the restricted categories don’t meet the updated qualifications, ASCI will not consider it to be a genuine extension, but a surrogate created to advertise a restricted category. ASCI’s updates will contribute to maintaining the integrity of advertising in India, upholding ethical standards, and protecting consumers from misleading practices.

    Throwing more light on the amendment to the fresh changes to the Brand Extension Guidelines ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “As part of our ongoing commitment to consumer protection and ethical advertising, ASCI has introduced these new additions to the brand extension guidelines. These measures are essential to prevent the misuse of brand extensions as surrogates for advertising in restricted categories. We believe that these guidelines will strengthen the integrity of advertising in the industry.”