Deceptive practices in inDian aDvertising: a content analysis of print anD television aDvertisements violating the guiDelines of aDvertising stanDarD council of inDia Kulveen Trehan*, Gaurav Kr. Singh** Abstract Whether ethical advertising is an oxymoron remains a subject of debate as it continues to evolve in the Indian mediascape. The academia has expressed strong reservations on fundamental motives of advertising while the industry vehemently defends the role and legitimacy of advertising in the integrated brand promotion mix. Amidst it all, it becomes even more signiicant to decode advertisements vis- a-vis acceptable norms of conduct. Therefore this paper attempts to analyze the content of messages in print and television ads that have been registered as violating the code of Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI). The results show that all deceptive practices exist across product categories. Ethical violations are on the rise because of the powerless nature of ASCI. Keywords Deception, Consumption, Misleading, Ethics, Violations, Self Regulation, Ad Literacy INTRODUCTION The ideals of a nation can be known from the kind of advertising it does. Norman Douglas Advertising is both the precursor and a dominant outcome of the mixed Indian economy in a free market driven, consumer centric, liberal production and consumption milieu 1 . Post 1991, every production chain geared up to compete with its rivals. In doing so, advertising became the most potent weapon in its armory. Large scale production needed the constant support of advertising throughout its life cycle and sometimes even beyond, thus becoming most visible and vital. With the turn of the millennium, advertising seemed to embody all that is good and bad between the changing relationship of an advertiser (producer) and the buying prospect (Liess, 2010). Advertising because of its status and reach, wields a great power over us (Pollay, 1986). Its inluence can be seen in every sphere of our lives- thoughts, actions, decisions, beliefs, values and also behavior. In serving the communication functions of attention, information and persuasion, etc. advertising has crossed the line, many a times. It has been accused of deception, of being offensive and violating the social and cultural norms of conduct (Jethwaney & Jain,2006). While its uses and functions may protect it from any threat as a valid construct, the way it is being executed needs more critical examination. The case of 50-year old Delhi based KS Majithia illustrates the magnanimity of the problem (NDTV Proit, 2011). Captain in the Merchant Navy, Mr. Majithia saw an ad in a leading newspaper about a company that promised a lifetime of luxury holiday and three health club advantages. He spent close to 1.5 lakh rupees only to realize that he had been duped. Of late, in India cases of deception have increased considerably. In 2010-2011 alone, 777 cases were reported to the Advertising Standard Council of India for violations of the ethical code of conduct. Out of which 84 ads were withdrawn or asked to modify. The burgeoning number of violations of the ethical code laid by the self-regulatory body in India afirms the rising concern about the harm advertising can do or is doing. At the forum organized titled ASCI and Misleading Ads in November 2011, PankajAgarwal, then Additional Secy, Ministry of Consumer Affairs opined, “There’s always a thin line between using words which display creative intent as well on the proven performance side or regard to time or the eficacy or the number of tones.” The message is loud and clear. Advertisers have to be careful about the claims they make. Marketing communicators need to be able to substantiate any claims that they make. An indirect comparison, or even the appearance of one, could render them liable. * Assistant Professor, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. Email: kulveentrehan.ipu@gmail.com ** Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. Email: gourav.csk@gmail.com 1 Jain, T.R. and Trehan, M. (2007). Indian Economy, Ambala : V.K Publishers, pp.-3-13.