False ad promises under the scanner

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We’ve often seen ads offering a free trip to Australia by just recognising those “obvious” blue eyes on the small screen. While many of us dismiss them as fakes, there are many out there who spend a good amount on calling those numbers, giving the advertisement the business it needs. To deal with such misleading ads, the government plans to form an inter-ministerial committee to suggest ways to check misleading advertisements that claim exaggerated benefits like fair skin or full energy. Junior food minister K.V. Thomas was recently quoted saying, “What strikes you most is that most of the misleading ads are issued not by small fly-by-night companies, but big corporations.”
Consumers who have been duped in the name of “promising schemes” ask for stringent ways and a proper governing body to make both advertisers and their clients accountable for false claims.
Reportedly, the government has also asked Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to create a more responsive system to check ads. Ad filmmaker and director Abhinay Deo feels what is needed is a body working on the lines of the RTI. “We’re in times when people know their rights. What we need is a body like the RTI where a consumer can go and complain in case he is mislead by an ad. Also, through this body, the advertiser and the client should be made accountable for the claims they make. At the same time, the advertisers will also get a chance to justify themselves. I feel it’s important for advertisers to understand the reality of the brand they are promoting. I feel sometimes advertisers tend to just trust and have faith in the brand they’re working with, so that’s quite unfortunate,” he says.
Karan Chauhan, a young advertising professional, dismisses the argument, suggesting that it’s the consumer who should be careful before falling into the trap. “Today, consumers are quite rational. And you’ll find that companies do make exaggerated claims, but are definitely careful as ‘conditions apply’ is always a part of their ads. Also, I feel that they will, and have all the right to, highlight the USP of their product. On what basis can one say that those claims are exaggerated? It’s the consumers who have to be careful in the end,” says Karan.
Dhawal Trivedi, a young photographer, says, “I feel fairness creams do all that they can to shoot up their sales. Ads today are misleading and unethical. They should ideally set up a body which substantiates the tall claims these companies make. I personally found cellphone company misleading. They don’t tell you that you need to have an imperative data plan to do anything related to Internet. Earlier I thought it was optional. It turned out otherwise when I bought the phone.”
Broadbands and college ads are often misleading, claim many. “I recently got a broadband connection for `1,000 along with a cable for my LCD. The total bill promised was `1,500 every month, but it comes to `2,000. They always give me a detailed account of the charges. Most of us don’t even know where to complain for a quick solution,” says Lokesh Batra (name changed on request) who works with an MNC.