Only 3.61% of COVID-19 related ad claims were true says Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)

At a time when consumers were most vulnerable about safety and hygiene, most of the COVID-19 related ad claims made were false says Advertising Standards Council of India. The ASCI Secretary General Manisha Kapoor stated that only 12 of 332 COVID-19 claims in ads in FY21 were true. Most advertisers could not prove that their products worked as claimed in their advertisements. These were assessed by the ASCI experts as well as microbiologists who weighed the COVID-19 evidence. Observing the widespread exploitation of consumers the ASCI had issued an advisory end 2020 advising brands to substantiate claims through recognised testing labs. “Brands that offer proven benefits to consumers have a genuine role in the pandemic, but unfortunately most of the COVID-19 related advertising fell woefully short,” said Kapur.