MAM
ASCI shortens its complaint redressal to 12 days
MUMBAI: Tired of waiting? Well, now you won’t have to. The advertising content self-regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) will now deliver its Consumer Complaints Council’s (CCC) decision on a complaint against an objectionable advertisement within a span of on an average of just 12 days from the date the complaint is received.
ASCI’s chairman Partha Rakshit said, “ASCI’s effectiveness and credibility as an advertising self-regulatory organisation has increased several fold with speedier redressal of complaints and high compliance of its CCC’s decisions by advertisers. Regulatory bodies like MIB, DCA, FSSAI and FDA now recognise and support our self-regulation work with the inclusion of the ASCI in the Inter- Ministerial Monitoring Committee formed to review misleading ad content.”
With the public and regulators demanding that ads which are a) misleading or make false claims, b) indecent , c) showing hazardous activities and d) unfair to competition should be promptly removed or modified , ASCI has taken effective action to reduce the complaint processing turnaround time from 45 days two years back to just 12 days on an average currently.
Some of the actions taken by ASCI to achieve this unparalleled turnaround time are:
1) From monthly meetings two years ago, the CCC now meets weekly by having two CCCs instead of one earlier and total number of CCC members moving up from 21 to 28.
2) The turnaround time taken at ASCI to process the complaint and time provided to the advertiser to respond to the complaint has been significantly reduced with the use of email and technology.
3) Intra industry complaints among ASCI members are being resolved in just seven days via Fast Track Complaint (FTC) process which was introduced in 2012. FTC, which handled 30 complaints in 2013-2014 has been very popular among ASCI members who are seeing real time and cost savings by not taking the matter to the courts on intra industry ad content disputes.
4) In the recent past ASCI also introduced ‘Suspension Pending Investigation’ (SPI) by which ASCI can order an extremely objectionable ad to be removed immediately pending investigation and decision of the CCC.
Under its National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS), ASCI has also started tracking in print and on TV of all ads against which complaints have been upheld. And results show that over 90 per cent of such “upheld complaints” ads do not reappear or are appropriately modified. ASCI has now started reporting non-compliant upheld ads (i.e. upheld ads which reappear) to regulatory authorities such as the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the Medical Council of India (MCI), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for taking action as per the law of the land.
The faster complaint turnaround time and improved compliance upheld complaint decisions by ASCI has taken place at the same time when number of complained ads processed by ASCI has increased more than 10 times. In 2011-2012 number ads processed by ASCI were 176 which post the NAMS initiative in 2012-2013 increased to 784 and for April 2013 to February 2014 period (11 months), ASCI has handled complaints against 1833 ads.
MAM
Bark Out Loud launches #ThriveSharedJourney with Huma Qureshi
New campaign reframes pet nutrition as a mindful, shared growth journey.
MUMBAI: Bark Out Loud just gave pet parenting a leash on meaning because when your dog’s dinner becomes a daily pact, even the kibble starts feeling like a love letter. Bark Out Loud by Vivaldis has unveiled #ThriveSharedJourney, a new campaign for its Thrive range of pet food, featuring actress and pet parent Huma Qureshi. Launched around International Women’s Day 2026, the campaign shifts the narrative from routine feeding to intentional, shared growth between pets and their owners.
The core idea, thriving isn’t automatic, it’s a conscious decision made together. Today’s pet parents track their own milestones and upgrade their lives, yet pet nutrition often slips into autopilot. The campaign challenges that gap, showing that real wellbeing comes from active participation, not passive provision.
A heartfelt film starring Huma Qureshi captures this shift: everyday moments of connection over Thrive meals become the building blocks of a stronger bond. The message is clear growth is shared, not solo.
Bark Out Loud by Vivaldis CEO Kunal Khanna said, “Pet parents today love their pets deeply, but there is still a gap when it comes to everyday nutrition awareness. #ThriveSharedJourney is our way of building a more responsible culture of feeding, where thriving becomes a shared commitment.”
Bark Out Loud business head Devika Khanna added, “Thrive has been created to bridge that gap with clean, thoughtfully developed recipes that support digestion and overall wellbeing. Partnering with Huma allows us to tell this story in a way that feels real and relatable.”
The campaign will roll out through digital films, creator collaborations and community conversations, positioning Thrive as a daily investment in long-term health rather than a habitual purchase.
In a world where pets are family, Bark Out Loud isn’t just feeding them, it’s feeding the idea that every bowl is a promise: we grow together, we thrive together, one mindful kibble at a time.
