The information and broadcasting ministry (I&B) has taken a dim view of the apex advertising regulator?s apparent failure to pull up a clutch of deodorant firms which are flagrantly violating the laws aimed at ensuring decency and high standards of ads in the country. In a missive to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the ministry has asked it to take action against these firms, which continue to depict women as ?objects of desire? and in a very poor light, in the next five days.
?ASCI should take up the matter urgently with these advertisers.
Either such offensive commercials should be taken off air or modified immediately,? an I&B ministry official said.
The ministry has identified five deodorant ads which have violated the relevant laws ? the Advertising Code and the provisions of the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act, 1994. These include Wild Stone, Addiction Deo, Set Wet Zatak (Paras Pharma), Denver Deo and Axe (HUL) Cmmercials.
?The depiction and portrayal of women in these ads are overtly sexual. The ads brim with messages aimed at tickling the libidinous male instincts and portrayal of women as lustily hankering after men under the influence of such deodorants,? the I&B ministry said in a notice sent to ASCI.
?These ads appear indecent, vulgar and suggestive and hence violate provisions of Rule 7 of the Advertising Code. They appear to denigrate women and thus violate the cable laws,? an official said.
When contacted, Alan Collaco, secretary general of ASCI said: ?Yes, we have received the I&B communication pertaining to the deodorant ads. We are seriously examining the matter and due response will be given to the ministry.? However, ASCI insiders said that when it comes to depiction of women in ads for soaps or deodorants, it is a matter of perception on what is decent and what is not. ?What was considered indecent five years ago in films and ads, is accepted today. So, one has to examine the ads carefully before reaching any conclusion,? an ASCI executive said.
Interestingly, several of the deodorant companies and the channels airing them have been pulled up in the past by both ASCI and the I&B ministry. In 2009, Wild Stone, a product of McNroe Chemicals, was pulled up by the ASCI for portraying women in poor light. Similar was the case for Axe ‘Dark Temptation’ commercial where ASCI directed the advertiser to re-edit the commercial removing certain objectionable shots. The I&B ministry has sent over three-dozen notices to channels across genres which have aired these commercials in the past year alone. However, channels continue to air these ads, sources said.
According to marketing experts, the deodorant market, currently pegged at around Rs 850 crore and growing at 35-40% is cluttered with over two dozen mass-market brands. ?In order to break the clutter, the advertisers use these suggestive ads often lifted from overseas TV commercials of the same category. Also, the laws are not strong enough; therefore, both advertisers and broadcasters take their chances with these ads for a limited duration till they are pulled up,? a senior advertising professional told FE.
When asked, the ASCI said that the current laws were ‘adequate’ to deal with advertising. ?Depiction of women in ads has always been a matter of debate between the government and the advertising industry. If we find something not conforming to the advertising code, we do take action,? Collaco said.