ASCI Board has very little role in determining whether an ad is offending or not: Srinivasan K Swamy
In a quick chat, Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman & Managing Director, RK Swamy spoke of his plan of action as Chairman of the Board of The Advertising Standards Council of India, the current challenges in his new role and more...

Srinivasan K Swamy, popularly known as Sundar, Chairman & Managing Director, RK Swamy was recently elected as the Chairman of the Board of The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). Swamy takes over from Benoy Roychowdhury, Executive Director HT Media who will continue to be a part of the Board.
A month ago, Swamy was honoured with the prestigious AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2016 in Mumbai. He has been active in various industry bodies working towards the growth and development of the advertising industry. He was president of the AAAI for three consecutive terms (2004 - 2007) and continues to take active interest in the activities of the AAAI. He is also a board member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Swamy is serving his fourth term as the president of the India chapter of International Advertising Association (IAA) and was recently elected as senior vice-president of IAA, the global body. He is the vice-chairman of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA), and was earlier, the chairman of the Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations (2008-10). Swamy is also actively involved with socially relevant institutions for the improvement of society.
We caught up with Srinivasan K Swamy for a quick chat. Swamy spoke of his plan of action as the Chairman of ASCI and the current challenges in his new role....
Excerpts:
Congratulations on your new role. What is your plan of action and how do you plan to take it forward?
ASCI is a 30+ years old body, so we are fairly well-known, complaints are being tracked across the country through National Advertising Monitoring Service. We also have the Grievances Against Misleading Advertisements (GAMA) portal of the Government of India. I think there is no concern in terms of tracking complaints, but I feel people are generally not aware of how ASCI functions. There is something called Consumer’s Complaints Council (CCC) whose composition, purpose of the body and what they do is clearly not understood.
The Board of governors have very little role in actually determining whether the ad is offending or not. CCC predominantly has their member from the civil society and that nobody is aware of. I want to see, how we can communicate to people the decisions which you get from ASCI is actually from consumer activists and society members who determine what should run and what should not run. ASCI board has very little role in that, we do have minority representation from the advertising profession, but majority of the people are from the other side of advertising, those who are consuming advertising, rather than developing advertising. So I want to focus on CCC, their role and how they are trying to make a difference to the functioning of ASCI.
What will you do to increase the awareness level of ASCI? Are people aware of the work which the body does?
Every major advertiser or every major agency has been hit by ASCI. Basically there is no problem of ASCI in being known for what it does. But how it is done, who is doing it, is something which they are not clear of. Therefore, generally the blame goes to the Board of Directors of ASCI, but I want to say that it is not the Directors who have anything to do with it, it is people like you, who are going to be a part of the CCC to decide whether the ad is offending or not.
What are the current challenges which you will have to deal with in this role?
Challenges are there is any organisation. Advertising is an important aspect of a major advertiser and their business is at risk, if we tell them that the claims which they have made are wrong and to stop making such claims. It then affects their business; therefore, there are people who take you to Court because it bothers them. The challenge for us is actually to defend those court cases and ensure that justice prevails. We want to make sure that advertising is fair, truthful and honest, in doing this, some marketers may be aggrieved about it and therefore, they take us to court.
Do you think celebrities should be held accountable for products which they endorse?
I think the only person who should be held accountable for a claim being made is an advertiser, because it is his brief, his product, and his research; therefore, they know what is right and what is wrong. Celebrities are just promoting it, having said that, all good celebrities also do their bit of due diligence. They don’t merely stand in front of the camera because they are being paid huge money. But that doesn’t absolve the advertiser from briefing their celebrity correctly. So, I feel there is no point in hanging the celebrity for what he is being told to say!
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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
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'
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 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
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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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
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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