CELEBS WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR MISLEADING ADVTS
THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, HAS ISSUED GUIDELINES REQUIRING CELEBRITIES TO EXERCISE DUE DILIGENCE WHEN ENDORSING BRANDS
“HOPEFULLY, THIS LEGISLATION WILL ENCOURAGE BOTH CORPORATIONS AND CELEBRITIES TO BE MORE RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE, RESULTING IN A GREATER EMPHASIS ON COMMUNICATION AUTHENTICITY. THERE HAVE BEEN A FAIR NUMBER OF DECEPTIVE ADVERTISEMENTS OVER THE YEARS, AND THEY HAVE PERSISTED UNABATED.”
Recently, actor Allu Arjun made headlines when social activist Kotha Upender Reddy filed a police complaint against him for appearing in a misleading advertisement for an educational institution. Not long ago, Allu Arjun was chastised for promoting a food delivery app and was also warned for promoting a bike app by disparaging government transit services. The future of celebrity endorsements will be all about transparency and accountability.
IF IMPLEMENTED IN LAW AND LETTER, THE IMPACT WILL BE SIGNIFICANT. TOO MANY CELEBRITIES HAVE GOTTEN AWAY ENDORSING BRANDS PURELY FOR PROFIT AND AS A TRANSACTION, WITH ABSOLUTELY NO COMMITMENT OR DUE DILIGENCE ABOUT THE PRODUCT THEY ARE ENDORSING.”
— VANDANA SETHHI, Founder & CEO, Water
SHIRLEY D'COSTA, Chief Business Officer, Kulfi Collective
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT CELEBRITYDRIVEN CAMPAIGNS ARE SUCCESSFUL. WITH THIS BIGGER POWER, THERE MUST BE A GREATER RESPONSIBILITY ATTACHED AS WELL FOR THE ENDORSERS. THIS RESPONSIBILITY IS TO LEAD THE PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BY THOROUGHLY VERIFYING THE CLAIMS MADE IN THE BRAND ENDORSEMENTS.” — CHIRAG BAGARIA, Director,
Proton Communications
CELEBRITY ONUS
Things are about to change, as the industry body Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has issued guidelines for celebrity-led advertisements, including fines of up to `10 lakhs for misleading advertisements. Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has said that no prominent personalities or celebrities from the field of entertainment or sports, should endorse crypto products. Vandana
Sethhi, Founder &
CEO, Water Communications says, “If implemented in law and letter, the impact will be significant, great and timely. Too many celebrities have gotten away endorsing brands purely for profit and as a transaction, with absolutely no commitment or due diligence about the product or service they are endorsing. It will be interesting to see what exactly these guidelines define, but on the face of it, it’s something that is
Communications long overdue.”
A celebrity should not be allowed to endorse a brand unless he or she has used it or prefers it.
BEING ACCOUNTABLE
This is more critical when it comes to products that have an adverse effect on health. There should also be some degree of relevance. As a wild example, a diabetic celebrity endorsing a chocolate, or a 30-something promoting coaching classes should be seriously questioned. Chirag Bagaria, Director, Proton Communications says, “There is no doubt that celebritydriven campaigns are successful; the growth figures are a testimony to the success of such campaigns. With this bigger power, there must be a greater responsibility attached as well for the endorsers. This responsibility is to lead the people in the right direction by thoroughly verifying the claims made in the brand endorsements.”
In the recent past, Akshay Kumar was trolled after endorsing Pan Masala through surrogate advertisements and then quickly dissociated himself after a huge backlash.
This also prompted Kannada superstar Yash to turn down a multi crore offer to endorse a pan masala brand. “It is high time that they should start denying misleading advertisements to be aired on their platforms. Trust for a brand is a combination of several factors and the media platform is one of them,” adds Bagaria.
STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Setting the guidelines will encourage celebrities to actively consider what and who they want to support, giving us a glimpse into their thought process and, in the long run, helping brands and consumers see a better narrative. “Hopefully, this legislation will encourage both corporations and celebrities to be more responsible and accountable, resulting in a greater emphasis on communication authenticity,” says Shirley
D’Costa, Chief Business Officer, Kulfi Collective. “Over the years, there have been numerous deceptive advertisements, and they have persisted unabated. Advertising influences purchasing decisions, and celebrities, with their large fan bases and influence, play an important role in this. Celebrities in the country are routinely used in all kinds of brand promotions — ranging from detergents to undergarments to EdTech portals; brands they probably have never encountered in their homes/ daily lives,” adds Shirley. Endorsement arrangements can be worth crores of rupees, so having celebrities do their due diligence is a feasible ask.
PLUG THE LOOPHOLES
The whole reason for brands or companies to rope in a celebrity is to amplify their message through them because they have good reach. “If a brand’s messaging or content is misleading and is propagated by a celebrity without accountability for the sake of suitable imagery or monetary gains, and not also because the claims of the product/service is correct is always questionable. This third layer check, which was earlier missing, has now been brought in as a significant aspect for a celebrity to consider endorsing a brand. Unless this third layer is added, accountability on the celebrity’s end will happen,” says Khushboo Solanki Sharma, Founder, Zero Gravity Communications.