Controlling the hard sell

New guidelines toughen advertising standards usefully

The new guidelines toughening the standards of information in advertisements, especially those aimed at children, in all major media platforms have been long overdue. Under the new rules, penalties for misleading advertisements have been linked to the definition of such infractions and the punitive measures provided under Section 2 (28) of the Consumer Protection Act. For manufacturers, advertisers, and endorsers, the penalties are Rs 10 lakh for the first offence and Rs 50 lakh for a second infringement. The Central Consumer Protection Authority can also prohibit an endorser of a misleading advertisement for up to one year, and three years