ASCI releases guidelines for usage of awards, rankings in ads

Brands will have to think twice before proclaiming ‘No 1’ status in their promotions as advertising industry watchdog Advertisement Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Monday introduced new guidelines for usage of awards/rankings in ads, effective 1 February.

Specifically created to curb companies to use misleading awards/rankings for their product/service in ads, ASCI laid out key ‘dos and don’ts’ of using ranking or awards in ads, especially in the education and health sector.

ASCI said brands and services need to ensure that accrediting bodies involved in disseminating or presenting awards or rankings are authentic and credible. The regulator said awards/rankings cannot be used as an alternative for consumer or scientific research or testing which is required to substantiate a superiority claim about a product or service. Ads that refer to awards/rankings should indicate clearly the name of the awarding organisation along with the month and year in which the award/ranking was pronounced.

The validity of the award/ranking used to substantiate a claim should be of a period preceding the advertisement by not more than 12 months.

A written permission or consent of the person, institution or organisation conferring the award/ranking has to be obtained before using it in the advertisement. Awards/rankings based on surveys done in one area (say, a city or state) cannot be extrapolated to include a larger territory.

To substantiate the award/ranking claim, the advertiser needs to give an undertaking that there is no commercial relationship or conflict of interest between the awarding organization and the advertiser.

While the guidelines are applicable to all advertisers it would particularly be relevant for healthcare services and educational sector which tends to use such superiority or leadership claims.

“Claims such as ranking 1st in the state or in India, receiving an award for being the most trusted or award of excellence, listed in some book of world records etc. makes consumers believe that the product/service is recognized and trustworthy, whereas in some cases this may not be true. The guidelines are a step towards ensuring that advertisers are cognizant of the serious impact of deceptive advertising and hence make responsible claims when referring to awards and rankings in their advertisements,” said Rohit Gupta, chairman, ASCI.