MAM
Asian Paints says #SlamDoorsNoMore in latest campaign
MUMBAI: When it comes to doing up your house, doors and windows are often the most neglected part. The latest campaign rolled out for Asian Paints’ legacy brand Apcolite is all about encouraging you to have fun with your doors and windows, exploring an aspect of home decor that was hitherto largely untouched.
Tonic Worldwide has created the #SlamDoorsNoMore campaign for Asian Paints Apcolite Enamel which highlights how consumers have largely neglected their doors while concentrating on other areas of home decor. The digital campaign focuses on the life of a contemporary couple, where the wife is upset with her husband’s careless behaviour, venting her anger by slamming doors. In one such instance, a photograph of the couple also falls off the wall. In a bid to appease his wife, the husband transforms the door, replacing the boring nude shade with attractive colours and images, thereby transforming his wife’s mood as well, defusing her anger. Doors are not for banging anymore, rather, to be admired.
Asian Paints Chief Operating Officer Amit Syngle says, “Asian Paints has identified themselves as a partner for consumers in creating beautiful homes. Over the last decade, we have seen wall stencils and textures becoming an integral part of the home décor. Along with walls, furniture and other elements, doors also play a key role in accentuating the décor of one’s home. Ideas for doors is a simple, yet powerful element of a consumer’s decor journey.”
Tonic Worldwide Chief Business Officer Sudish Balan says, “As William Wordsworth said, if the doors of perception were cleansed, everything will appear to man as it is, infinite. This was the overarching thought, the way we treat our doors is a reflection of the environment we have created for ourselves. If a door is the first thing you see when you are about to enter your home, and if it pleases your cognitive sense, then it will elevate your mood too.”
Tonic Worldwide creative director Ashwin Dutt adds, “No one really bothers about decorating their doors, especially with stencils. You may use stencils on your walls but not your doors. Stencils for doors are a low involvement category and there needs to be a gradual change in perception. It’s a cost-effective way to spruce up the interiors of your home. As a marketer, you live for such briefs. No one even notices their doors. So, we decided to create some love for the product by creating a story around doors in every household. We noticed that our TG had a unique connection with the door. Doors are used as an expression of anger. It’s usually slammed in an argument to make a point. The idea was to narrate a tale that resonates with our audience and spur a conversation through our film. And that is exactly what comes out. With low involvement products it’s important to create communication that is relatable yet conveys the message”.
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.
