Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Content, Agenda and Advertising Ethics: An Identification on Violation of ASCI codes in Promoting Patanjali Products in India Mohd Aleem Khan1 PhD Scholar, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Manipal University Jaipur, Dehmi Kalan, Ajmer Expressway, Jaipur (303007), Rajasthan, India Email: [email protected] Dr. Subhash Kumar2 Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Manipal University Jaipur, Dehmi Kalan, Ajmer Expressway, Jaipur (303007), Rajasthan, India Email: [email protected] Abstract- Media has been used as an effective tool to promote to UNESCO1 report [1] “It is widely believed that mass media has various products and ideas for desired socio-political and an Important role to play in achieving national goals and there are economic goals of the country. In contemporary world seven following functions of mass media: 1. Dissemination of technology is progressing rapidly and digital media is used as information; 2. Education; 3. Socialization; 4. Cultural a powerful medium by the advertisers for marketing of Promotion; 5 Motivation; 6. Entertainment; and 7. Integration”. products and services, it has the potential of reaching millions The above-mentioned functions of communication can also be of consumer. In such conditions many advertisements have achieved through advertisements, and therefore it has been been influencing the society through embedded misleading included in the basic self-regularity guidelines of Advertising content (dialogues, text and visual narratives). These practices Council of India. Today, commercials have become an important have also posed challenges for the regulatory bodies. Although social and economic force in the world [2]. After the globalization Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI,1985) defined advertising industry has expanded in a very progressive manner its new regulatory mechanism for digital based marketing in and has kept pace with the growth of multinational companies in Feb 2016 and various codes of conduct were formulated to India . “It has a far-reaching influence on the social, cultural and control the misleading advertisements but still there are moral values of the society”[3]. The Oxford dictionary explains several advertisements with hidden agenda which continue to advertisement as public announcement of goods to promote sales mislead the society. One of such examples is Patanjali and primary objective of advertising is to sell something through Ayurveda Ltd, an Indian consumer goods company which has persuasion. It comes across in innumerable images, audios, text reached new heights in international market in last few years. for various products. The excessive use of various forms of media Hence, the study was carried out with a purpose to review and for the promotion of Goods and services cannot be ignored in our analyse TV commercials of Patanjali products and to examine day to day lives. Advertisements affect our life to a large extent the violations of ASCI codes in advertisements of Patanjali. and it is important to develop an understanding of the relationship Both qualitative and quantitative methods including content between the advertising messages and their customers, and analysis of advertisements followed by a survey have been undertake some social responsibility for the sending messages [4]. used to find out the violation of ASCI codes in the Goldman [4] has opined that “advertising as a major social and advertisements of the Patanjali products through Television economic institution strives to maintain cultural hegemony by and digital media. The study has found that the emotions of providing socially constructed ways of seeing and making sense patriotism and faith are exploited for the economic benefit of of our world”. According to Ewen and Ewen [5], “advertising not Patanjali group owners by using false claims, national icons only sells us the product or services, but it also indirectly tells us and symbols. In addition, some advertisements of the ways, to understand the world”. Patanjali products have violated the ASCI codes. Patanjali Looking at the vital rolIIe of advertisement, some guidelines and ads are fined for harmful and misleading content and banned codes have also been formed for the process of promoting a on television many times, but all these ads continue to exist on product or service although these guidelines have been digital media under the name of Patanjali Ayurveda and overlooked many times by the advertisers. There are numerous ASCI is failed to ban such ads on Digital media platforms. instances where advertisements have mislead with hidden propaganda and false claims through TV and digital media. In this Keywords: Advertising-ethics, ASCI, Patanjali, Commercials, context, Patanjali Ayurveda “ a leading herbal and ayurvedic Content, Violation, Agenda, product manufacturer has been included in top three advertisers in television until 2017. In the same year, Patanjali significantly I. INTRODUCTION ramped up its online presence, it has created an advertising narratives in local language for different states like Andhra Communication is a natural trait in human beings. It is a medium Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana by of expression used in society for all practical purposes. According identifying right demographic location for his brand”. The 1 UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. Volume XII, Issue III, 2020 Page No: 114 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Patanjali Ayurveda channel on YouTube which started in July complaints against political and Government advertisements. The 2014 has more than 96.000 subscriber and reached to 30 lakh self-regulatory3 body also refers the act and provisions from views in first month of 2017, after collaboration with Google it Government of India for ethical advertising and monitoring the has climbed to 15 crore views from 30 Lakhs. It also started online ads content, advertising practises falls under i.e. Consumer campaign for boycotting of foreign products with “Go Protection Act, 1986, the Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 1940, the swadeshi(indigenous) movement”. But now, According to AdEx Drugs and Magical Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (2019) data, “In first half of 2018, Patanjali has dropped to 10th Act, 1954, Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, position in the list of top TV advertisers of India”. Regarding to 1986 etc[8]. changes in marketing strategies, Acharya Balkrishna CEO of Patanjali Ayurveda told to “The print”[6] in an interview that “the There are numerous instances where advertisements have company had consciously reduced its TV ads and plane to give mislead the consumers with hidden agenda and false claims more focus on digital media and we are planning to increase more through Tv and digital media. The Department of Consumer spends on digital media in some months”. Affairs (DoCA), Government of India has received large number of cases for misleading advertisements in various media channels. 1.1 Internet, Advertising and ASCI In 2015, DoCA has launched a portal to enable consumers to register “Grievances Against Misleading Advertising” (GAMA). The Internet has emerged as a largest medium for marketing After scrutiny of the complaint which is registered to the portal, and advertising since 1994. Although various forms of media are the objections are forwarded to the state government or concerned used for promotion of products but broadcasting on digital respective central regulatory body basis on the subject matter. platform has grown faster than any other advertising medium Between march 2015 and march 2016, 1046 complaints have been because it offers advantages to the advertisers, mass coverage at registered through the GAMA portal in the first year. The low cost, audience selectivity, impact and social presence in the Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. has been charged for violating ASCI consumer classes. Apart from it, in the last few years the use of codes in some cases. In December 2016 [9] Patanjali Ayurveda’s Internet in advertising practises has increased profusely in both Ltd. was fined Rs 11 lakhs for “misbranding and putting up consumer and business markets. Different studies has been misleading advertisements” of their products in District court of discovered that internet has the great potential to effects on the Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. The products were found to be in audience and persuades them to take actions. India has made “violation of Section 52 (misbranding) and Section 53 great progress in the area of free trade and it is how numerous (misleading advertisement) of Food Security norms and section multinational companies enter in the Indian market and invest a 23.1 (5) of Food Safety and Standard (packaging and labelling) huge amount of business capital in advertising and millions of Regulation”. Hence, the study has tried to understand the consumers are exposed to a wide variety of advertisements every unethical practises done in Patanjali commercials for marketing year, but monitoring of the content of ads and marketing of communication, its nature of visual content and role of ASCI products is very poor. “The government is not in favour to codes in their advertisements. regulate advertisements by his enforcement