ASCI Drafts Guidelines for Social Media Influencers
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has issued a set of draft guidelines that directs influencers to prominently label content that promotes products and services on social media.
On TV there are many advertisements about air conditioners, mobiles, gadgets, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc. Many well known celebrities are part of such ads. There are many influencers on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. where they post various forms of content. These posts are highly viewed and such individuals have a large following. They have millions of followers. These influencers promote various products including shampoos. They even promote mobiles, gadgets, clothing, makeup, etc. It is common knowledge that celebrities are paid to appear on TV advertisements. Many think that influencers are not paid for their content. But that's not the case. Such influencers with a large following are usually paid by brands to promote their products. For example, influencers who promote a soap are usually paid to do it.
People think only TV ads are paid but even the social media ads are paid. People are usually unaware about this. Earlier, there weren't many regulations for social media influencers. Television adverts were properly regulated, but social media was not. People were free to collaborate with brands and post content.
This is why the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has issued a set of draft guidelines for influencers on social media. ASCI has said the guidelines will be finalized by March 31 and will apply to posts published on or after April 15. ASCI has made these new rules to help people distinguish between advertisements and content that was independently created by the influencer.
From now on, if an influencer posts a video, photo, audio, Live, or any form of content on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest or any social media platform and if the influencer has been paid by a company to promote their product via the post, then the influencer must make sure that it is clear mentioned in the video and that there are appropriate labels such as #ad, #collab, #promo, #sponsored, and #partnership. The ASCI also said that these labels must be visible on any device.
Another rule is - For example if the influencer is promoting a cream and the company says the creams will get rid of wrinkles in 7 days, then it is the influencer’s responsibility to check its scientific and performance claims.. This will be the same for any product. As per the guidelines, the influencers shouldn't use filters that exaggerate the brand's claims, for example beauty filters that radically improve appearance.
