Latest news with #ASCI
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Indian ad industry a different world, growing tremendously: Havas CEO
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in Services 1. Gaming co MPL accuses ASCI of 'tampering' with their ads The advertising industry in India is "growing tremendously" and "is a different world" compared to Europe, said Yannick Bollore , global chief executive and chairman of French advertising group Havas, which represents Reckitt Benckiser, Swiggy Tata Motors and Hindustan Unilever in India, across creative, media buying and outdoor advertising."When you look at Europe or the US compared to what's happening in India, it's a completely different world. We are happy with 2-3% organic growth in Europe; in India you have 10% plus growth year-on-year," he told ET at Havas Village, the Gurugram-based India office of the ₹2.7 billion listed French advertising and communications group. "India and China are two regions of the world where we see tremendous growth - they're two very large economies with very large populations." Large multinationals such as Coca-Cola, Reckitt Benckiser, Levi's and Unilever have identified India as a core growth bastion amid global headwinds, despite an ongoing urban chief of the world's fifth largest ad group, said he's advising global advertisers "to continue investing in India" despite recent geopolitical disturbances and US-imposed tariffs, which have disrupted business and investor sentiment."These (events) do create uncertainty.. investors and businesses don't like uncertainty. When clients make investments, they want to make sure they know the landscape or the rules for the coming three, four, five years. We're telling them to continue looking at the long term... that if you invest for the long term, you'll find growth," he India operates 25 agencies under creative, media and health verticals. Last December, the French network announced its listing on Euronext, Amsterdam, but retained a minority family ownership."I know in today's world, it's hard because we have so many moving pieces from a geopolitical or macroeconomic environment. But in terms of investment in advertising, we don't see any real impact.. people are continuing to deploy their plans," Bollore optimism about the Indian ad market, which estimates peg at '1.6 lakh crore, Bollore said, "Millions of people here are accessing the middle class with buying power. That's driving growth for cars, consumer products and spirits. Manufacturing and infrastructure are driving growth too.. so is talent and the level of education - this is a strong consumer facing country."However, the sector has been seeing intensified competition. The past months have seen mega global consolidation, such as New York's Omnicom Group's announcing a merger with Interpublic Group to create a global behemoth, with agencies such as McCann, Lowe Lintas, FCB and DDB Mudra in their fold. Publicis Groupe, too, has been in consolidation mode, with agencies under its network including Publicis, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi and a query on how Havas would compete against the global giants, Bollore said, "To operate, I believe you need to have some scale.. If you want to operate globally, you need to have a network of agencies all over the world in multiple areas of expertise, creativity, media buying, e-commerce, social media, everything... At the same time, it's better not to be the biggest. Because when you're the biggest, you don't really have advantages, you are less agile. I think for Havas being the best challenger at scale is giving us a different type of edge."Bollore declined to comment on a potential acquisition of stake in Sam Balsara-owned Madison World, but said inorganic growth and strategic acquisitions were very much part of the group's growth plans.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
MPL parent company serves legal notice to ASCI, demands INR 50 crore for alleged defamation
HighlightsGalactus Funware Technology, the parent company of Mobile Premier League, has issued a legal notice to the Advertising Standards Council of India demanding the withdrawal of a whitepaper on opinion trading and seeking INR 50 crore in damages for alleged defamation. The legal notice accuses the Advertising Standards Council of India of publishing a biased whitepaper that misrepresents Mobile Premier League's advertisements by allegedly tampering with screenshots and removing disclaimers. Galactus Funware Technology is challenging the authority of the Advertising Standards Council of India to comment on opinion trading, arguing that it does not have the mandate to categorize such activities as lacking skill, particularly as the legality of these games is currently under judicial review. Galactus Funware Technology , the parent company of online gaming platform MPL ( Mobile Premier League ), has issued a legal notice to the Advertising Standards Council of India ( ASCI ), demanding the immediate withdrawal of a whitepaper titled "Examining Opinion Trading in India" and seeking INR 50 crore in damages for alleged defamation and loss of goodwill. The legal notice, dated May 23, 2025, sent through their legal counsel Trilegal, accuses ASCI of publishing a "biased and unsubstantiated" whitepaper that relies on "tampered" versions of MPL's advertisements and misrepresents their content to mislead consumers. Allegations of tampering and misrepresentation Galactus Funware claims that the ASCI whitepaper, published in May 2025, deliberately edited screenshots of their advertisements to support a "baseless conclusion" that opinion trading involves an "element of risk" and "chances of financial losses". The notice highlights specific instances of alleged tampering citing that ASCI allegedly removed disclaimers present in the original advertisement, thereby misrepresenting its compliance with advertising codes. The company states that a screenshot from an educational YouTube video, emphasising "Skill, Interest, Knowledge," was taken out of context and selectively edited to imply risk, despite the video's focus on skill development. Galactus Funware also claims ASCI reproduced only a partial section of their website, omitting detailed content on skill, knowledge, and responsible gameplay, and intentionally removing disclaimers. "The Opinion Trading Whitepaper represents a gross misuse of ASCI's position and seemingly been issued with the sole intent of spreading misinformation and defaming our Client," the legal notice states, adding that its "sensationalist tone reeks of vested interests and a blatant disregard for objectivity". The advertising self-regulatory body, ASCI told ET that they were in receipt of the notice, but a spokesperson denied any wrongdoing. "We are in receipt of the notice and there is absolutely no question of tampering," the regulator said, in response to a query from ET. ASCI's Mandate Questioned Beyond the allegations of tampering, Galactus Funware challenges ASCI's authority to publish such a whitepaper. They argue that ASCI's charter, the Code for Self-Regulation in Advertising, does not provide for commenting on the nature or legality of any industry's operations. The notice further asserts that ASCI has "no technical acumen or mandate" to categorise opinion trading as a game devoid of skill, equating it to betting or wagering, especially when the legality and categorisation of such games are sub-judice before various high courts, with proceedings stayed by the Supreme Court. Galactus Funware has given ASCI three days from the issuance of the notice to publicly withdraw the whitepaper. Failure to comply will result in the initiation of "appropriate legal actions (both civil and criminal)" for "deceptive and defamatory conduct", the notice said. The company also warned that it would seek further compensation for each day the whitepaper remains in the public domain beyond the stipulated three days. Copies of the legal notice have also been sent to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the All India Gaming Federation. When ET reached out to MPL for their response, a spokesperson declined to comment.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Gaming co MPL accuses ASCI of 'tampering' with their ads
Mumbai: Galactus Funware Technology , the parent company of online gaming platform MPL (Mobile Premier League), has issued a legal notice to the Advertising Standards Council of India ( ASCI ), demanding the immediate withdrawal of a whitepaper titled 'Examining Opinion Trading in India' and seeking ₹50 crore in damages for alleged defamation and loss of goodwill. The legal notice, dated May 23, 2025, sent through their legal counsel Trilegal, accuses ASCI of publishing a "biased and unsubstantiated" whitepaper that relies on "tampered" versions of MPL's advertisements and misrepresents their content to mislead consumers. Edited screenshots by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why Seniors Are Snapping Up This TV Box, We Explain! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Galactus Funware claims that the ASCI whitepaper, published in May 2025, deliberately edited screenshots of their advertisements to support a "baseless conclusion" that opinion trading involves an "element of risk" and "chances of financial losses". The notice highlights specific instances of alleged tampering, citing that ASCI allegedly removed disclaimers present in the original advertisement, thereby misrepresenting its compliance with advertising codes. Live Events The company states that a screenshot from an educational YouTube video, emphasising 'Skill, Interest, Knowledge', was taken out of context and selectively edited to imply risk, despite the video's focus on skill development. The legal notice states that the white paper's "sensationalist tone reeks of vested interests and a blatant disregard for objectivity". The advertising self-regulatory body, ASCI told ET that they were in receipt of the notice, but a spokesperson denied any wrongdoing. "We are in receipt of the notice and there is absolutely no question of tampering," the regulator said, in response to a query from ET. Mandate questioned Galactus Funware also challenged ASCI's authority to publish such a whitepaper. They argue that ASCI's charter, the Code for Self-Regulation in Advertising, does not provide for commenting on the nature or legality of any industry's operations. Copies of the legal notice have also been sent to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the All India Gaming Federation. When ET reached out to MPL for their response, a spokesperson declined to comment.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Adman Sandeep Goyal moves Punjab & Haryana HC against surrogate ads, seeks govt-led regulatory mechanism
In a significant move to curb the growing menace of surrogate advertisements promoting alcohol and tobacco, veteran adman Sandeep Goyal has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. It seeks strict enforcement of existing laws aimed at safeguarding public health—particularly that of youth. A bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel issued notices to the central government, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Goyal, a 62-year-old Chandigarh resident and Managing Director of Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited, has long opposed surrogate ads and has refused to work with tobacco and alcohol brands since their advertising was banned in India. With no personal or fiduciary interest in the case, his petition cites blatant violations of the Cable Television Network Rules 1994, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003, and the CCPA Guidelines on Misleading Advertisements 2022. The petition, argued by advocate Aadil Singh Boparai, highlights prominent examples of alleged surrogate advertising—including spots for brands like Vimal Elaichi, Rajshree Silver Coated Elaichi, and Pan Bahar—that aired on primetime TV, including IPL broadcasts. These celebrity-endorsed promotions, Goyal argues, mislead consumers and glamourize restricted products, fuelling a public health crisis. Studies have linked such advertising to increased tobacco and alcohol use among teenagers. 'The country is undergoing a health crisis wherein the youth of the nation is getting addicted to alcohol and tobacco at a tender age. It is submitted that the advertisements, which use renowned celebrities to advertise their product, not only promote the consumption of alcohol and tobacco but also validate their consumption through glamorous portrayal of alcohol and tobacco products,' says the petition. The petition underscores the ineffectiveness of current self-regulatory frameworks, including those of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), in curbing misleading promotions. Goyal calls for a more robust, government-led regulatory mechanism to oversee advertising content. The petition seeks the following reliefs: • A writ of mandamus directing enforcement of the ASCI's Code for Self-Regulation in Advertising. • A writ of mandamus directing implementation of the CCPA's 2022 Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements. • A writ of mandamus for enforcement of the Cable Television Network Rules 1994. • Any other directions the court deems appropriate. Goyal contends that existing redressal mechanisms are too slow to counter the real-time impact of such ads, which continue to reach large audiences before any regulatory action is taken. He also draws on Supreme Court and high court observations calling for stronger regulatory oversight in the advertising sector. Calling for stricter enforcement, the petition states, 'It is the assertion of the Petitioner that the growing problem of surrogate advertisements can be effectively tackled only by a Complaint Redressal Mechanism which works under the direct aegis of the Central Government and supervises all advertisements being published/broadcast.'
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Offshore betting and real estate top ad violations in ASCI's 2024-25 report
Offshore betting and real estate emerged as the most non-compliant sectors in advertising during 2024-25, according to the Advertising Standards Council of India 's (ASCI) Annual Complaints Report. The self-regulatory body reviewed 9,599 complaints and examined 7,199 advertisements over the course of the year. Offshore betting accounted for 43.5% of all the violative ads last fiscal, followed by real estate at 24.9%. Together, these sectors made up more than two-thirds (68%) of total violations, the report said. They were joined by personal care (5.7%), healthcare (5.23%), and food and beverages (4.69%) as the top five violating sectors. ASCI monitors advertising violations across brands, platforms, and influencers, working closely with the Department of Consumer Affairs to promote truthful and lawful advertising. "This year has been one of meaningful collaboration," said Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary general of ASCI. "We expanded our efforts to address key areas such as offshore betting and real estate, which involve high-impact violations." Betting is illegal in India, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has directed all publishers to avoid carrying advertisements from offshore betting platforms. Industry-wide compliance with ASCI guidelines stood at 83%, with television and print media showing a higher adherence rate of 98%. Digital media accounted for 94.4% of the ads flagged for violations, while traditional media contributed a relatively small share. Influencer-related violations made up 14% of the total ads reviewed. The report noted that 79% of digital ad violations occurred on Meta platforms, followed by other websites, Google, property portals, and LinkedIn. ASCI reported a significant improvement in complaint resolution efficiency during 2024-25, with the average turnaround time reduced to 16 days-a 46% improvement over the previous year. This was largely driven by the higher proportion of uncontested claims and enhanced processing systems. Of the scrutinised ads, 98% required some form of modification. Notably, 59% of the investigated ads were uncontested and were either withdrawn or modified by advertisers. Most violations stemmed from misleading claims due to lack of honest representation and promotion of harmful products or depictions of dangerous situations, the report said. A total of 3,347 ads fell under categories that are legally prohibited from advertising, including offshore betting, alcohol branding, and unauthorised forex trading apps, which are banned by the Reserve Bank of India. Additionally, 233 ads potentially violated the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act. ASCI reviewed 1,015 influencer ads during the year, with 98% requiring modifications. On LinkedIn alone, 121 violations were identified, largely due to professionals failing to disclose paid partnerships.
