MAM
Govt urges Asci to improve self-regulatory mechanism
NEW DELHI: The Government today asked the Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) to improve the self-regulatory mechanism by speeding up the processes and compliance of its codes for advertising content.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni urged Asci to specifically review consumer complaints on misleading advertisements, thus making the self-regulation machinery more effective.
“Self regulation is an evolving system in response to the growing aspirations of the consumer or the common man. Advertising is the principle motivator of growth in consumer demand, thus making the role of a creative person extremely significant. The current self-regulation mechanism has evolved as a result of the concern shown by the consumer. The key intention here is that all of us should sensitise ourselves to ensure that 1.2 billion people can enjoy the freedom entrusted to us,” Soni said.
Soni felt that public good would be served better if self regulation was put in place at the content generation stage. She wanted the various bodies in the broadcast sector which had adopted self-regulatory mechanisms to increase their base by enrolling more members who accept the mechanism. This would ensure the proactive and effective participation of smaller players in the sector and also reflect the true status of the broadcasting sector. This would make self regulation responsive to the needs of the consumers.
She said it is critical for every stakeholder in the industry to work with sensitivity towards the hopes and aspirations of the people. Self Regulation as a process needed to be in a state of constant evolution so as to address critical concerns that arose from time to time. Advertising needed to be sensitive to the socio-cultural requirements of society especially women, children, disadvantaged and marginalized communities, and ‘commodification’ needed to be prevented since advertisements influenced social behavior.
The Minister also expressed concern at the rising number of complaints received by Asci this year as compared to last year. She mentioned that against 190 advertisements, 777 complaints had been received this year as against 200 complaints received vis-?-vis 159 advertisements last year.
Minister of State for Food, Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution KV Thomas said in his address that the ministry is reviewing consumer complaints on misleading advertisements and debating how to manage this issue. “In this process, we are considering a legal requirement as well as an inter-ministerial committee to look into the issue of misleading and false advertisements,” Thomas said.
Appreciating the work being done by Asci in self-regulation, he said “We are open to working with Asci for a collaborative effort to take this entire matter forward.”
Asci chairman I Venkat gave an update about the various initiatives undertaken by the council in recent days. He said, “As part of our evolving self-regulatory system, we have increased the frequency of our Consumer Complaints Council‘s meetings to twice a month from this month. The fast track service announced recently has already received positive response. The CCC has already reviewed eight advertisements until now under the fast track system. The support we expect from Government will ensure that Asci continue to create global standards and international benchmarks in self-regulation of advertising content.”
The Conference also comprised three technical sessions to discuss issues and solutions related to decency in advertising, honesty and truthfulness in advertising, and food and beverage advertising. Each interactive session had speakers representing industry, regulators and activists and was moderated by TV anchors with expertise in the field of advertising.
It was pointed out that there are several laws regulating the content of advertisements in the country and the consumers are protected from misleading and deceptive advertisements through the enforcement of such laws.
At the same time, the initiative taken by the advertisers, advertising agencies, media and other concerned parties to impose self regulation on themselves through a voluntary code of conduct on the content of advertisements had resulted in institutionalising a robust self regulatory mechanism under the Asci umbrella in its 26 years of service to the consumers and the advertising sector. It has not only addressed the issue of promptly resolving intra-company disputes on the content of advertisements but also taken action on individual complaints on advertisements raised by citizens and aware consumers.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
