Clean-up act

A spurt in scam advertising and misleading communication over the past few years has prompted the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the self-regulatory body that controls advertising content, to launch a "Swachh Ads Abhiyan". The campaign was initiated across social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube on December 24, the National Consumer Day. The idea, said ASCI, was to engage with consumers and make them aware of their rights against such advertising. "It's really important that consumers don't blindly believe in advertisements," said the apex body of the Indian advertising industry, in a prepared note.