MAM
Asci raps 3 ads for obscenity
MUMBAI: Advertising industry watchdog, Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci), has asked three advertisements to be taken off-air immediately, as they have been found ‘‘obscene‘‘ and ‘‘indecent‘‘.
The three culprits are two ads from Set Wet Zatak — Cool Talc and deodorant — and one Axe body spray spot.
The talc advert, shot in an old-fashioned tailor‘s shop, shows the tailor’s son applying the talc before measuring a lady, which leads to the objectionable scenes.
In the same company’s deodorant ad, a man with unbuttoned shirt sprays the deo before meeting up with the dentist. This ad by Zatak shows the dentist unbutton her blouse after smelling the deodorant.
Axe deodorant’s airport security ad has been axed as well. In this television commercial a woman security guard keeps frisking a man for a longer time than usual, because he is wearing Axe body spray.
When asked about the possibilities of modification in these ads, Asci general secretary Allan Collaco said, “There is very little to modify in these ads. Hence, they have been asked to go off-air immediately.”
In recent times, Asci has received numerous complaints against deodorant companies. Also, Information and Broadcasting Ministry had last month asked the body to take immediate action.
The decision was made at the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) meeting held on 28 June.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
