Only 12 of 332 ads related to Covid found true: Asci

In the financial year gone by (FY20-21), the Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) processed over 6,140 complaints regarding misleading ads. Ads that made Covid-related claims were also in focus and Asci, which is a self-regulatory body, found only 12 of such 332 ads to be scientifically correct.

The panel that tracked and verified the claims made by such advertisements included microbiologists.

From the first quarter since the pandemic started, following a directive from the Ministry of AYUSH that asked Asci to identify ads that violated its advisory dated April 1, 2020, the body escalated 237 objectionable ads to the ministry. While 164 of these ads complied and modified the untrue claims, 73 Covid-related ads needed further investigation and action by the ministry due to non-compliance.

Asci flagged ads of several categories such as paints, apparel, detergents, skin care, air conditioners, fans, water purifiers, plywood and laminates, supplements and food, all promising Covidrelated benefit.

“In a period where consumer vulnerabilities were at an all-time high, many brands took unfair advantage of this, and tried to peddle their wares without establishing any robust evidence of their actual utility against the SARS COV-2 virus,” said Manisha Kapoor, secretary general, Asci.

Besides Covid complaints, the Asci Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) also processed 1,406 complaints in the education sector, 285 against food and beverage advertisements and 147 related to personal care. In addition, 364 advertisements were found to be, prima facie, in violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act.