28% of all ad complaints received between April-Sept 2022 were related to influencers: ASCI report

Out of the total complaints received by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) between April to September, 2022, 28% were related to influencers, as per the recent report released by the self-regulatory body.

ASCI has released its Half Yearly Complaint Insights 2022-23, as per it, some of the key categories wherein influencer violations were detected included Personal care, Food and Beverage, Crypto, E-commerce, among others.

The Half Yearly report also stated that a total of 781 complaints were processed by ASCI against influencers, out of which 87% advertisements with an influencer connection were found violative.

Of the 781 complaints processed against influencers, 34% were from the personal care category, followed by food and beverage at 17%, and virtual digital assets at 10 %.

However, there was an 84% compliance for the April-September period of the current fiscal year, the report highlighted.

Out of the 87% ads found in violation with Influencer Guidelines, 63% of the ads were not contested and were modified within seven days and 24% accounted for complaint upheld, while  the remaining 13% were dismissed.

Furthermore, the report also highlighted that digital mediums account for over 55% potential violations. Out of this Instagram and YouTube accounted for 27.4% and 24.3%, respectively. 

As per the report, the prevalent reason behind violation of ASCI’s Influencer Guidelines continues to remain non-disclosure by influencers advertising in digital media.

Influencers and Bollywood celebrities who find mention in ASCI’s list of non-compliant social media influencers and brands are - Sambhavna Seth, Pranali Mistry, Sonam Babani, Sonali Sonawane, Rahul Trehan, Amitabh Bachchan, Tiger Shroff, Vidya Balan, Disha Patani, Anushka Sharma, Vaani Kapoor, Sachin Tendulkar, etc.

On the brands side, the list comprises the names of - Amazon Seller Services, Beyond Life NFT, Wishcare, 1xBet, Aashu_Designer, Adidas, Binomo, Ambrane India, Country Delight, Wow Skin Science, Colorbar, Elle, Estee Lauder India, FAE Beauty, Fila India, Flipkart, Mamaearth, BoAt, JetSynthesys, Kama Ayurveda, etc.