ADVERTISING

WATCHDOG BODY GIVES UP ON CIGARETTE AD CODE

The Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) has withdrawn its code for tobacco advertising following its non-compliance by cigarette manufacturers in India. The code forbid celebrity endorsements for cigarette brands, the use of images which connect smoking with success, and the use of dummy products to promote cigarette brands. The code had been considered too stringent by the Indian tobacco majors, which devised their own code through the Tobacco Institute of India (TII). The TII code is as lenient as the Asci code was strict. The advertising industry watchdog body says it is not willing to modify its code and has preferred to withdraw it.