The offering will highlight any claim made by marketers or advertisers that violates or coils potentially violate even a single ASCI code or guideline. To help them better, the feature will point out errors at the campaign planning stage, helping marketers and advertisers take corrective action at the pre-production phase and align their claim and creative basis with the ASCI code.  

The new service will also encompass a panel, including technical experts in different specialties, who can examine the claim and evidence for technical claim support.  

This is a paid service available to members as well as non-members of ASCI.  

However, the body stated that the offering is not a pre-clearance for brands and should be treated only as an advice.  

Subhash Kamath, chairman, ASCI, said, “As ASCI steps into its next phase, the Advertising Advice service will be a crucial element in the cause of self-regulation. The service gives brands a chance to better prepare their campaigns and mitigate reputational risks. While there is no guarantee that consumers will not raise a claim against a brand, the advisory does help brands take steps to ensure that their campaigns don’t violate any norms formulated to protect consumer interest. We believe that this advisory service will provide the necessary support to the advertising ecosystem to create more responsible ads without affecting creativity.”  

Manisha Kapoor, secretary-general, ASCI, added, “The advisory can be used by brands to great effect while planning their campaigns. Brands wish to be competitive and push the boundaries of claims. With this service, we can support advertisers to make strong claims while not crossing the all-important lines of honesty, decency, fairness and safety. An external scrutiny by experts at the pre-production stage can add tremendous value to campaign development. Post release of the campaign, any stoppage can cause significant disruption and cost for an organisation. But by making this a part of the way advertisers think of campaigns at an early stage, such risks can be mitigated. We see this as a win-win for advertisers and consumers, who then get exposed to fewer problematic ads.”  

(Source: Campaign India)