MAM
Alia Bhatt says switch to Duroflex for ‘Asli Neend’ in ad campaign
Delhi: Duroflex has launched a new campaign with their national brand ambassador and leading actor Alia Bhatt to scale its signature portfolio Duropedic which is recommended by the doctors at National Health Academy.
The campaign featuring two TVCs aims to educate customers that when it comes to good sleep, one should only believe the benefits of sleep essentials that are backed by research and approved by experts.
The TVC will be aired on all major national television channels and also promoted across digital channels.
Duroflex chief marketing officer Smita Murarka, commented, “Our mission of helping India sleep better, starts with making well researched products and in sharing knowledge about how sleep impacts health and wellbeing. This has resulted in more and more consumers turning to branded mattresses. However, mattress buying can be a complex exercise as the key aspects that define a purchase are not well understood by consumers and the heap of generic or false claims in the market only confuses them further. We do believe that with honest conversations we will be able to educate consumers about making well researched choices which suit their individual needs. With this campaign, our aim is to connect with our consumers that all they need for Asli Neend is Duroflex.”
The first TVC educates the consumers that mattress buying is not a one-size-fits-all activity whereas the second one warns them against getting lured by seemingly attractive deals and making the wrong choice.
The first TVC encapsulates the moment where Alia finds her friend Adarsh Gaurav, from the White Tiger fame sleeping uncomfortably on his mattress. The conversation between the two further reveals that Adarsh bought the mattress thinking that because it’s memory foam, it is good for his back. To this Alia lightheartedly chides him saying “har memory foam orthopedic nahi hota, aur har neend neend nahin hoti”, explaining that specific problems require specialized solutions like Duroflex’s signature doctor recommended orthopedic range of mattresses with advanced 5 zone support layer.
The second TVC is a shorter narrative of 15 seconds where Alia advises the users to not get lured by seemingly attractive offers like free trial period, lest they might end up getting dark circles like her friends. And then goes on to say that a real beauty sleep is only with the trusted Duropedic range, and there is Nothing like Duroflex that matches up.
Duroflex brand ambassador Alia Bhatt said, “Sleep is very close to my heart. It is my superpower, which I’d like to share with my audience. However, few realise the importance of the right mattress for a good night’s sleep. Moreover, confusing technical claims and deals offered by brands lead people into buying mattresses that don’t fit their needs. The new Duroflex TVC will help educate the consumer about this.”
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
