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ASCI urges consumers to take action against misleading advertisements on ‘World Consumer Rights Day’
MUMBAI: On the occasion of the ‘World Consumer Rights day’, The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) urges consumers to not just be vigilant but also take action against misleading advertisements by informing ASCI through a simple WhatsApp message on +91-7710012345. Additionally, consumers can also reach out to ASCI through website ascionline.org or via e:mail to contact@ascionline.org
ASCI chairman D Shivakumar said, “Consumer is the King or Queen and has a voice today, thanks to the digital medium. ASCI encourages consumers to reach out to ASCI using our WhatsApp number, it’s as simple as that.”
‘World Consumer Rights Day’, originated in 1983, is an occasion to remind the world about the importance of observing and enforcing consumer rights. It is celebrated with a purpose to unite the consumers and reiterate that corporations must keep in mind their responsibilities. Advertising is an indispensable mode of communication and has always been an important medium to persuade consumers and create a perception about a certain product or service.
Established in 1985, The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a self-regulatory organisation, is working towards protecting the interests of consumers by ensuring that the advertisements conform to the Code of Self-Regulation of advertising content. While ASCI does not accept anonymous complaints, it maintains utmost confidentiality with respect to complainant’s identity. Each complainant gets acknowledgement and unique tracking ID number for their complaint. Key milestones of complaint processing are informed via automated SMSs. ASCI receives over 300 complaints a month from end consumers.
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Sameer Nair shares heartfelt note as he exits Applause Entertainment
After nine years building the streamer’s content engine, one of India’s best-known TV men is moving on
MUMBAI: Sameer Nair is out. The chief executive of Applause Entertainment, the content studio backed by Kumar Mangalam Birla’s media empire, has announced his departure after nearly nine years at the helm, closing the chapter on one of Indian entertainment’s more quietly consequential careers.
Nair, who built Applause from the ground up in its current avatar, oversaw a slate that spanned Indian originals and international adaptations, threading together a hub-and-spoke business model that partnered with streaming platforms, broadcasters and production houses alike. The results were uneven, as they always are in content, but the ambition was not.
In a post on LinkedIn, Nair was generous to his outgoing patron. He thanked Birla for being an “inspirational boss and a great patron of the arts,” and signed off with a cheerful “Au Revoir” and a promise to remain Applause’s biggest cheerleader. Whether that sentiment survives the next chapter remains to be seen.
No successor has been named. Applause Entertainment did not immediately comment.
Nair built the machine. Now someone else has to run it — and in a streaming market that is simultaneously consolidating and convulsing, that is no small ask.
