Digital Ads Now Drive Most Violations, Says ASCI CEO Manisha Kapoor

I’ve been a brand and marketing strategist for most of my career, working with large FMCGs in the first decade of my career. Thereafter, I consulted several organizations across diverse sectors around their marketing and brand strategies. I had the opportunity to be a part of ASCI’s jury, the Consumer Complaints Council, and that built my familiarity with ASCI. In 2020, in the midst of Covid, I was offered the opportunity  to lead the organization. 

Since then, the journey has been extremely interesting and I have led the  transformation of a strong legacy organization into an agile, future facing one. Several new work streams such as research, training, thought leadership, and advisory services have been added, making sure we stay up to date and provide the right guidance to the advertising ecosystem.

Over the last decade, addressing consumer-related concerns in advertising has become more complex due to the rapid shift to digital and social media. According to ASCI, digital media now accounts for 98% of advertising violations, highlighting how online platforms dominate compliance issues. Unlike traditional media, digital advertising is high-volume and influencer-driven, often blurring the line between editorial and paid content. Complaints surface instantly, and many influencer posts require modification due to non-disclosure or misleading claims.

In addition to clear cases of misrepresentation, newer challenges such as dark patterns and greenwashing through vague or unsubstantiated sustainability claims have added complexity. At the same time, digitally native consumers are more aware and vocal, often tagging regulators directly on social platforms. While scrutiny has increased, improved voluntary compliance and higher influencer adherence rates reflect growing accountability within the digital ecosystem.

ASCI addresses unethical digital advertisements through proactive monitoring and consumer complaints. With digital media accounting for the vast majority of violations, ASCI closely tracks influencer content and misleading claims. Non-compliant ads are reviewed by its Consumer Complaints Council, and advertisers or influencers are required to modify or withdraw them.

ASCI primarily addresses misleading or exaggerated claims made in advertisements, including claims related to freshness, quality, or safety. Where such claims are found to be dubious, ASCI requires advertisers to modify or withdraw them.

Product quality and food safety are regulated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and fall beyond ASCI’s remit. However in various sectors, ASCI has worked in coordination with statutory regulators to ensure that misleading representations are acted upon swiftly.

Consumers can file complaints about misleading advertisements directly with ASCI through its online complaints portal via its website. Consumers can also report misleading digital ads by tagging ASCI on social media platforms.

By staying informed through regulator advisories, checking for proper disclosures in influencer promotions, and scrutinising exaggerated claims can help consumers make better decisions and strengthen accountability across the ecosystem. Consumers may also lodge complaints with various statutory authorities depending on the sector and nature of complaints.

ASCI has recently launched a nationwide influencer-led consumer awareness campaign aimed at educating the public about emerging advertising risks in the digital ecosystem particularly greenwashing and dark patterns.  

Through this initiative, ASCI is collaborating with digital creators across categories to simplify complex regulatory concepts and help consumers identify misleading environmental claims, hidden costs, disguised ads, subscription traps, and manipulative interface designs. 

The campaign is part of ASCI’s broader commitment to strengthening digital advertising literacy and empowering consumers to make informed choices in an increasingly algorithm-driven marketplace. ASCI has also launched AdWise, a school education program to improve advertising literacy amongst young children. We aim to train one million kids through this exercise.