The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Thursday said it has re-elected Subhash Kamath, chief executive officer, BBH and Publicis Worldwide, India, as chairman after its 35th annual general meeting. This is the second consecutive term for Kamath. NS Rajan, managing director, August One Partners LLP, would also continue as vice-chairman of the board. “We have flagged off important initiatives in the digital space, such as the influencer guidelines and the monitoing of promotional content. We are becoming future-ready in this ever-changing marketing and media landscape,” Kamath said.
“The second term will allow me to push further with these initiatives, which are showing immense promise. As we expand our presence, we are engaging more with consumers as well to increase awareness of their rights,” Kamath added.
The ASCI board has also announced the inclusion of new members including academician and social activist Ranjana Kumari, leading educationist Indu Sahani, technology entrepreneur Rajesh Patel, ,and finance sector expert and former editor Rajrishi Singhal as it wants to strengthen governance through partnering with external stakeholders and civil society and bring in fresh perspectives.
In the last one year, ASCI has taken many new initiatives keeping with the pace of the evolving marketing landscape. In line with its effort to be more digitally inclined, ASCI is digitising its complaints management system through a new website and learning tools for the industry. It is investing in technologies such as AI and machine learning. ASCI will also focus on consumer, industry and student education and thought leadership initiatives through collaborations.
Among its initiatives throughout the year, the guidelines of influencer marketing hogged the limelight. Influencer guidelines for labelling promotional content have helped consumers distinguish paid content from organic, ASCI said in a statement. ASCI also introduced ministry of information and broadcasting-backed guidelines for real-money gaming advertising.
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