Ads from telecom, e-commerce, and banking sectors witnessing steady increase in complaints: Shweta Purandare, Secretary General, ASCI

Industry watchdog received 72 complaints against ads in the telecom industry in 2016-2017

e4m by Venkata Susmita Biswas
Published: May 5, 2017 7:55 AM  | 4 min read
Ads from telecom, e-commerce, and banking sectors witnessing steady increase in complaints: Shweta Purandare, Secretary General, ASCI

Telecom, e-commerce, and banking are three sectors which are seeing an increase in misleading and false advertisements. Shweta Purandare, Secretary General, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), said to exchange4media that there has been a steady increase in complaints against ads from these three sectors. “An increase in objectionable advertisements is an outcome of these sectors booming,” she said.

According to ASCI’s year end compilation of complaints, the industry watchdog in saw an emergence of complaints against advertisements in the telecom sector (58) in 2014-2015. In 2015-2017 ASCI received 72 complaints against ads in the telecom sector, 54 complaints against ads from the e-commerce sector, and 24 complaints against ads from the banking sector. According to Purandare, even though the number of complaints in the banking sector is small for now, the sector is witnessing a steady increase in complaints.

ASCI’s in its latest round of reviews for the month of February upheld complaints against Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Snapdeal, Amazon, and Flipkart amongst others.  

With every telecom company claiming to offer the fastest or best data connectivity with contradicting or no data to back the claims, telecom majors - Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, and Jio - have all been pulled up on multiple occasions in the last few months by ASCI for airing misleading advertisements.

Recently, Airtel and Jio have been warring over the “fastest network” claim. Earlier this year ASCI upheld a complaint against an advertisement for Reliance Jio for its claim, “Best 4G Network with lowest data rates globally.” ASCI found the ad to be misleading by ambiguity and implication of it being among the best in the world. Following that, based on a complaint from Reliance Jio, an ASCI fast track committee had asked Airtel to modify its advertisement claiming to have the fastest telecom network in the country  

In its latest round of reviews, ASCI upheld three complaints against Airtel’s advertisement. One of the ads claimed to offer “Free Calls Local +STD Saath mein payen Internet Data.” ASCI found that the claim was not substantiated, and was misleading. Also the claim, “Fastest 4G Network” was inadequately substantiated, ASCI stated. The self-regulatory body found that the subject matter of comparison was chosen in such a way as to confer an artificial advantage upon the advertiser. “There is likelihood of the consumer being misled as a result of the comparison,” ASCI stated.

Similarly, a BSNL ad claiming to offer “most affordable tariffs” and “fastest broadband”, were not substantiated with comparative data vis-à-vis other similar service providers in the same category, and are misleading by exaggeration.

An Idea Cellular advertisement’s claim, “Idea Cellular is available in over 4 lakh towns and villages across India,” was found to be misleading by ambiguity and implication that Idea 4G services are available in most parts of rural and urban India.

A Snapdeal ads for Samsung J2 Pro claiming to have a “Quad-core snapdragon 821 processor” is false and misleading, ASCI found. Snapdeal stated that there was an inadvertent error made in the print advertisement. However, there was no error in product description of the said product on the online platform. Another Snapdeal ad for a price claim of “Rs.199 less Discount 85% off”, is false and misleading, ASCI noted.

An Amazon ad for Micromax 32T7260 HDI LED TV claiming “You can also watch your favourite content by connecting your TV to smartphone, using MHL (Mobile Hi-Definition link) and Bluetooth technology”, was found to be false and misleading as the product model delivered to the complainant did not have the features as claimed in the advertisement, ASCI said.

A Flipkart ad for Lois Caron LCS- 4162 was found to be false and misleading as the product model delivered to the complainant did not match with the visual displayed and did not have the “Quartz” reference.

In total ASCI upheld complaints against 242 out of 305 advertisements in February. Of the 242 advertisements against which complaints were upheld, 165 belonged to the Healthcare category, 31 to the Education category, followed by 19 in the Food & Beverages category, 9 in Personal Care Category, and 18 advertisements from other categories.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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