The Supreme Court (SC) also directed the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to submit measures taken against deceptive advertising, especially in the food sector.
Need for advertisement regulation:
- Digital platforms and social media increase the risk of misleading consumers and unfair trade practices.
- To promote genuinely healthy and safe products, especially for children, and prevent misleading claims.
- Celebrity endorsements significantly influence consumer decisions, especially among their followers and youth.
Ethical issues with celebrities endorsement
- Conflict of interest: when a particular ad conflicts with the celebrity’s image, principles, interests etc.
- Lack of transparency: Endorsing hazardous products through surrogate advertising.
- Override expert opinion: when they undermine the opinion of more qualified individuals by false claims.
- Lack of Authenticity: when celebrities endorse products without utilizing them.
Steps taken by Government against misleading advertisement
- The Consumer Protection Act 2019 for protection of the interests of consumers.
- The Department of Consumer Affairs released the guidelines-Endorsements Know-hows! for celebrities, influencers and virtual influencers on social media platforms.
- The Department of Consumer Affairs has also launched the portal for registering online complaints for Grievances Against Misleading Advertisements (GAMA).