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Tag: NS Rajan

  • Multiple stakeholders come together to form ASCI Academy

    Multiple stakeholders come together to form ASCI Academy

    Mumbai: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) proudly unveils the ASCI Academy, a pioneering initiative poised to amplify the advertising industry’s capacity to create more responsible and progressive advertising campaigns. Building upon ASCI’s established corrective role which comes alive post ad publication, this  pioneering platform embeds self-regulation right at the point of the inception of  advertisements.

    In today’s digital landscape, characterised by brief campaign durations and a surge in number of advertisers, the ASCI Academy is positioned to empower current and future industry professionals including influencers and students with a foundational understanding of advertising regulations, ensuring ethical practices from the outset.

    The ASCI Academy’s core mission is to cultivate a cohort of advertising professionals dedicated to upholding responsibility in advertising, ultimately upholding consumer trust in brands.

    The academy strategically consolidates ASCI’s extensive thought leadership and educational programs under one comprehensive umbrella. The academy’s spectrum of programs caters to diverse needs, spanning online, in-person, and hybrid formats. From e-learning modules to topical webinars, from deep-diving masterclasses on regulatory nuances to enhancing teaching skills through faculty development programs, the academy covers it all. Additionally, influencer certification programs ensure responsible endorsement practices, while consumer education initiatives foster informed choices.  Through sustained training and research efforts, the ASCI Academy remains steadfast in its commitment to engage stakeholders in the preventive aspects of self-regulation. The ASCI Academy brings together stakeholders united by a shared belief in responsible advertising

    practices. The Academy has over 50 founding partners and supporters including Cipla Health Ltd, Coca-Cola India Pvt Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd, Diageo India, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Mondelez India Foods Pvt Ltd, Nestlé India Ltd, PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Pvt Ltd, several leading universities and colleges, prominent Civil society organisations such as Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, Consumer Voice, CUTS, CMS and others, and, industry bodies  like the ISA, AAAI, IAA and ISWAI, as well as research insight organisations.

    Department of consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said, “I congratulate  ASCI on the launch of the ASCI Academy. In the digital age, preventive actions need strong impetus and encouragement, and the training of industry professionals – current and future is an important systemic intervention. The Department of Consumer Affairs is supportive of such efforts by the advertising self-regulator to foster a culture of responsibility in the advertising industry. We hope that the advertising industry engages  deeply with the Academy programs to make their teams better trained and educated on  the aspects of advertising regulations.”

    Ministry of information and broadcasting, joint secretary, Vikram Sahay, who is part of the ASCI Academy’s Apex Council said, “Many congratulations to ASCI on the launch of the ASCI Academy. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has always supported self-regulatory mechanisms in the media and entertainment industry. We hope that the  resources and support by the Academy would be extremely useful for the online  advertisers and platforms.”

    Addressing the opening of the academy, ASCI chairman NS Rajan said: “While ASCI has always had a strong corrective mechanism, we also wanted to harmonise the dynamic interplay between creativity and responsibility and address the broader consequences of advertising on society at large. The ASCI Academy is a big step in this direction which will  facilitate a preventive footprint and shape an advertising ecosystem to help the industry  to get it right.”  

    ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor added, “With short campaign durations, it is important that attention is directed at the point of creation of ads, not just after they are published. When the only ads to hit the market are responsible and compliant, it is a win-win for both consumers and industry. Over the next three years, ASCI Academy aims to train 100,000 current and emerging professionals through self-learning and on-campus workshops and sessions, besides programs for research and consumer education. This is a new chapter in self-regulation in India, and we are grateful to all our founding partners for supporting this vision. We hope to add several more believers in this agenda- this is just the beginning”.

  • Subhash Kamath elected as ASCI chairman

    Subhash Kamath elected as ASCI chairman

    NEW DELHI: BBH & Publicis Worldwide India Chief Executive Officer Subhash Kamath has been elected chairman of the board of governors of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The vote was held at the board meeting that followed the thirty-fourth annual general meeting this afternoon. Kamath is an industry veteran, having spent more than 32 years building brands across various sectors. 

    Ketchum Sampark P. Ltd MD NS Rajan, was elected the vice-chairman, and IPG Mediabrands India P. Ltd CEO  Shashidhar Sinha was reappointed as an honorary treasurer at the same meeting. 

    The Board of Governors includes Abanti Sankaranarayanan, co-chairman & Board Member, ISWAI;  D Shivakumar group executive president, Aditya Birla Management Corporation P. Ltd; Girish Agarwal, director, Dainik Bhaskar Group; Harish Bhat, Director, Tata Consumer Products Ltd; KV Sridhar, chief creative officer (Global), Nihilent Ltd; Madhusudan Gopalan, CEO, Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Hbealth Care Ltd; Rohit Gupta, president – network sales & international business, Sony Pictures Networks India P. Ltd; Prof SK Palekar, Centre For Developmental Education, IFIM Business School; Priya Nair, executive director Beauty, and  Personal Care, Hindustan Unilever Ltd; Prasun Basu, president – south Asia, Nielsen (India) P. Ltd; Sivakumar Sundaram, president revenue, Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd; Umesh Shrikhande, CEO, Taproot India Comm. P. Ltd. 

    Incoming chairman, Subhash Kamath said: “It’s a genuine privilege to accept this role as chairman of ASCI. Having served ten years on the board, I have had the honour of working and learning from very senior and experienced leaders of the industry. More importantly, I have learned the immense value of self-regulation and the far-reaching impact of the work ASCI has done over the years. Our industry today is at a crucial stage. With the digital revolution influencing brand messaging and engagement with consumers, advertising is evolving rapidly. And with the recent formation of the Central Consumer Protection Authority constituted by the government, self-regulation will be even more crucial in promoting consumer confidence and trust. As I have always said, with great creative power, comes great responsibility. So I look forward to working closely with the ASCI team to continue the good work set up by my predecessors and to introduce some newer, more future-facing initiatives as well.”

    Recalling his year-long tenure at ASCI, outgoing chairman Rohit Gupta, said: “I thank all my colleagues, ASCI members and everyone who was part of this incredible journey. I am glad I was given an opportunity to drive the body that spearheaded important changes in the advertising industry. This year has been the most eventful for ASCI as we tackled several challenges. The pandemic saw many misleading ads, which were dealt with immediately. The Ministry of AYUSH reached out for help in flagging misleading advertisements regarding prevention and treatment of COVID-19.  We also signed up with TAM to monitor 3,000 digital portals for misleading claims. We successfully met the three objectives we had set: increasing our consumer base, monitoring the digital space, and working closely with government bodies. I wish Kamath and the board the very best.” 

    Over the past year, ASCI’s independent Consumer Complaints Council met 45 times and deliberated on complaints pertaining to 3,773 advertisements.

    ●      Complaints were upheld against 2,126 advertisements (versus 1,486 in 2018-19) while those against 298 were not Upheld as the advertisements in question were not considered to be in contravention of ASCI’s codes

    ●      192 advertisements were found to be prima facie in violation of The Drugs and Magic Remedies (DMR) Act or The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules (Schedule J). These were promptly escalated to the Ministry of AYUSH or the Ministry of Health for their immediate attention

    ●      In several cases, state AYUSH officials, the FDA or the Central Council for Indian Medicine issued show-cause notices to the advertisers.

    It concluded with a touching tribute to Brahm Vasudeva, the non-executive chairman of Hawkins Cookers and the first chairman of ASCI, who passed away in July. His commitment to self-regulation in advertising and to the ASCI cause was recalled fondly.