Lately, the advertising media is using celebrities from different fields like cinema and sports to endorse their products. With the digital bloom after the pandemic, social media influencers are playing a major role in the field. In fact, their role has increased as compared to that of actors and sportspersons! The Consumer Affairs Department working under the Consumer Affairs ministry believes that these endorsements are misleading the public. To avoid this, the department has launched the “Endorsement Guidelines” or “Endorsement Know-How”. These guidelines work under Consumer Protection Act.
What do the guidelines say?
- The endorsements should carry disclosures. And such disclosures should be clear. Today the disclosures are easy to miss. Some platforms run the disclosures at 2X or 3X speed. Customers hardly understand them
- The influencer or the celebrity should disclose his connection with the advertiser. This includes the monetary benefits he is receiving to advertise the product, incentives, hotel stays included in the shoot, awards, gifts, free products he is receiving from the advertiser, and other personal relations
- The language used in the endorsement should be simple
- Terms such as paid promotion, advertisement, or sponsor should be clearly visible and reachable to the consumers. Font size and audio of such terms should be clear and loud
Background
These guidelines were launched in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act of 2019. The main objective of GoI to legislate the act is consumer protection. According to the Indian Government, the advertisements are misleading the consumers and the use of unfair trade practices has increased among the businessmen in the country. The act will protect the consumers from these two issues.