Realty, offshore betting ads account for 63% of violations: ASCI report

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has unveiled its Half-Yearly Complaints Report for 2024-25,  which revealed a significant spike in misleading and illegal advertisements, particularly within the real estate and offshore betting sectors. Real estate continues to be the most violative sector, accounting for 34% of all complaints investigated during the April to September 2024 period, while offshore betting ads also remain a major concern, comprising 29% of the ads reviewed.

 

Key Findings of ASCI’s 2024-25 Report:

Real Estate: Real estate ads emerged as the primary violators, with 2115 real estate ads reviewed and 1027 ads flagged for potential violations of the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) Act. Remarkably, 99% of these ads were found to be non-compliant with MahaRERA guidelines, leading to penalties imposed on developers. ASCI’s ongoing collaboration with MahaRERA has been instrumental in identifying these violations and ensuring accountability within the real estate advertising space.

 

Offshore Betting: The promotion of illegal offshore betting platforms continued to plague digital advertising spaces, with 890 ads flagged to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB). These ads, which were often disseminated via social media platforms like Instagram, exploited fan pages, influencers, and digital tickers to promote illegal betting apps. ASCI’s intervention led to the removal of several such posts.

 

Greenwashing: ASCI’s proactive monitoring also identified 100 ads making misleading green claims, with 99% of them requiring modifications. These ads were scrutinized under the new guidelines for environmental claims, which are being strictly enforced by ASCI in collaboration with the Central Consumer Protection Authority.

 

Sectoral Violations:

• Real Estate (34%)
• Offshore Betting (29%)
• Healthcare (8%)
• Personal Care (7%)
• Food & Beverage (6%)

 

ASCI’s rigorous monitoring efforts led to the investigation of 3,031 ads out of 4,016 complaints filed during this period. 53% of the non-compliant ads were voluntarily withdrawn by advertisers without contest.

 

Additional Highlights from the Report:

Greenwashing: ASCI’s proactive monitoring also flagged 100 ads making misleading environmental claims, with 99% of them requiring modifications.

 

Improved Efficiency: ASCI reduced its average complaint resolution time from 30 days to 18 days, thanks to more advertisers voluntarily withdrawing non-compliant ads.

 

Sectors with High Violations: In addition to real estate and offshore betting, healthcare (8%), personal care (7%), and food & beverage (6%) ads also made up significant portions of violations.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Complaints to ASCI

 

1. Who can complain against an advertisement to ASCI?

 

ASCI accepts complaints from anyone, and complainants can include:

 

The General Public

The Industry

Consumer Organizations

Government Bodies

2. What kind of complaints does ASCI handle?

 

You can complain to ASCI if you come across an advertisement that is:

 

Misleading or untruthful

Indecent or vulgar

Unsafe or can cause physical or societal harm

Unfair to other products or brands 

What kind of complaints against ads does ASCI NOT handle?

 

ASCI does not handle complaints related to the following, even though they may relate to ads:

  Duration, frequency, or volume of advertisements  Product or service deficiency cases  Fraud cases or refund issues  Counterfeit products  Issues with content of a program  Network quality issues  Political, non-commercial government advertising  Violation of law (e.g., Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950; Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act)  Direct liquor/tobacco advertising  Violation of medical ethics codes  Pop-up ads, spam emails, unsolicited SMS  Sub-judice cases  Advertisements not meant for Indian audiences (cross-border complaints)  Pricing issues  Public notices, news articles, and press releases 

 What information do I have to provide to register a complaint?

 

To successfully register a complaint with ASCI, you need to provide the following information:

 

• The name of the advertiser or brand
• The time, date, and medium in which the ad appeared
• The name of the product or service being advertised
• A copy of the ad or a brief description of it
• Your specific objections (e.g., specific claims or visual frames) and reasons for your objection
• Your name and contact details (Note: ASCI keeps this information confidential if you are a member of the public, and it will only be used for communication purposes)
• These details help ASCI effectively process your complaint and take the necessary actions.