MxMIndia

Tag: Rohit Gupta

  • As it gears up to embrace SPN Vision 3.0

    Sony Pictures rejigs top deck

    By Our Staff

     

    Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has revamped its organisational structure, making several leadership changes.

     

    Rohit Gupta has transitioned from his role as Chief Revenue Officer – Ad Sales and International Business and taken on the responsibility of being SPN’s Advisor to the Management and the Board. Rajesh Kaul, in addition to his existing role as the Chief Revenue Officer – Distribution and Business Head – Sports, will take on charge of International Sales and will work in-collaboration with the Digital team to expand SPN’s brand presence and reach across the world. Neeraj Arora, currently heading International Sales will now be reporting directly to Rajesh Kaul.

     

    Sandeep Mehrotra has been appointed Head – Ad Sales, Network Channels. Danish Khan, Business Head – Sony Entertainment Television, Digital Business and StudioNext will take additional charge of Network Channels Licensing. Tushar Shah, Business Head, English, Factual Entertainment & Sony AATH, takes on an additional role of the newly created position of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for SPN. Aditya Mehta, in addition to his current role of Corporate Strategy and Business Development, will spearhead the formation of Data Analytics CoE to strengthen SPN’s approach to being a data driven organisation. Nitin Nadkarni, Chief Finance Officer (CFO) will take additional charge of the Broadcast Operations and Network Engineering (BONE) department. Kingshuk Bhattacharya – Head, B.O.N.E. will now report to Nadkarni.

     

    Said N P Singh, MD & CEO, SPN: “SPN has embarked on Vision 3.0 to create a future-ready organization based on a culture powered by corporate values and a management structure backed by an operating model that accelerates growth. All leadership changes announced today are reflective of that evolutionary intent.”

     

    Added Manu Wadhwa, CHRO at SPN: “The organization remodeling is a result of our constant focus to strengthen our talent and leadership capabilities and will ensure that we stay ahead of the curve in a dynamic media and entertainment industry.”

     

  • The self-regulatory body has partnered with TAM Media Research to add the monitoring of digital platforms to the already tracked print and television media under its National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS)

    ASCI adds 3k digital platforms for monitoring

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has partnered with TAM Media Research to add the monitoring of digital platforms to the already tracked print and television media under its National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS) for identifying potentially misleading advertisements. Initially, ASCI will track the food and beverage, healthcare and education sectors on digital media as they accounted for 79% of the complaints processed by ASCI last year, notes a communique, which adds: “With this, ASCI will now be monitoring a media horizon that is estimated to have more than 80% of India’s advertising spend on it. With digital advertising now accounting for 30% of the total mediaspends, and growing fast, this was the need of the hour. The variety of platforms covered spans search engines to video sites, news portals and websites for interests like astrology and automobiles. It is a natural extension of the responsibilities ASCI takes on to ensure the highest ethical standards in advertising and to increase consumer trust in it.”

     

    Said Rohit Gupta, Chairman, ASCI: “We live in a world that’s becoming more digital by the day, so a lot of marketing is shifting to such platforms. For a self-regulatory body, it makes sense to expand our monitoring of the offline space to include the online space as well. I believe ASCI is the only self-regulatory organisation in the world that does such extensive and ongoing monitoring of advertising. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than TAM – its reputation and wide experience will help us achieve our mission to enhance trust in advertising and to ensure that our ethical code is adhered to.”

     

     

  • She will take over from Shweta Purandare who joined joined ASCI eight years ago as Chief Complaints Officer and took over in 2014 as the Secretary-General

    ASCI appoints Manisha Kapoor as Secretary-General

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has named Manisha Kapoor as its new Secretary-General. From September 1, Kapoor will take over ASCI’s secretariat responsibilities, including the consumer complaints redressal process as well as the marketing, public relations and social media initiatives. Kapoor has been part of ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council for the past five years and is, therefore, closely associated with the advertising industry’s self-regulatory body. She will take over from Shweta Purandare who joined ASCI eight years ago as Chief Complaints Officer and took over in 2014 as the Secretary-General.

     

    Said Rohit Gupta, Chairman of ASCI: “We thank Purandare for her work in achieving our vision and her belief in our goals and motto. She was instrumental in enabling ASCI’s closer engagement with the regulators resulting in ASCI signing MoUs with the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Ministry of AYUSH. As she embarks on the next phase of her career, we wish her the very best. We are delighted that Kapoor will take on the role now. We look forward to her valuable inputs and leadership.”

     

    Added Purandare: “It has been an extremely enriching experience professionally through which I could contribute to ASCI’s transformation in terms of capacity, capabilities and stature. As I move on to undertake a new journey, I wish Kapoor the very best.”

     

    Said Kapoor: “It’s an honour to be given the responsibility of leading ASCI’s vision for the future. I look forward to working closely with all of ASCI’s stakeholders and furthering its agenda of fairness in advertising.”

     

    Kapoor has more than 25 years of experience in building brands and businesses. Having worked with companies like Hindustan Unilever and J&J India, she has also consulted with corporations on brand development and strategy for the past 15 years – first with MarketGate Consulting and more recently with Futurebrands Consulting. Kapoor has also worked with non-profits and the government on development sector projects.

     

     

  • Entries close on Aug 14

    Rohit Gupta on Venice TV festival jury

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Venice TV Festival has now invited entries now for TV channels, media companies, content production companies, branded content exponents and digital mavericks.

     

    Categories are Comedy, Performing Arts, Reality TV, Documentary, News, Light Entertainment, Program Promotion, Branded Entertainment, Sport, Children/Youth, Best Of Technical High Quality, Cross-Platform Programming, Best Series and Best TV Movie. A Grand Prix is given for the best work among winners in production.

     

    Other than Gupta, who is President, Sony Pictures Network India, the Jury of the international Venice TV Award is composed of leading international TV, Branded Content and Digital experts. These include Malin Hager President EGTA Sweden, Nikola Caligiore of Rai Italy and European Broadcasting Union, Dr Markus Schafer of Allianz Nederlands, Sonia Rovai of Sky Italia André Takada of Fox Network Latin America, Igor Tavares, Producer TVGlobo Brazil; Michal Pacina of Prima TV,  Elke Walthelm of Sky Germany,Jessica Schmiedchen of CBC TV, Maire Kearney of RTE Ireland and Olivier Teepe of Cloudfactory Nederlands.

    Entries close on August 14, 2020.

     

     

  • Ketchum Sampark held the mandate until recently.

    ASCI awards PR & digital mandate to Pitchfork Partners

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has mandated Pitchfork Partners Strategic Consulting with its public relations and digital counsel following a multi-agency pitch. Ketchum Sampark held the mandate until recently.

     

    Rohit Gupta

    Said Rohit Gupta, Chairman, ASCI: “When it came to choosing our communication partner, we wanted people who could synergise with ASCI’s vision and direction, refresh its communication and ensure that our connection with consumers strengthens more than ever before. We are delighted to have Pitchfork Partners as our communication experts. Pitchfork’s young team and expertise will help us achieve our mission.”

    Jaideep Shergill

    Added Jaideep Shergill, Co-founder, Pitchfork Partners: “We are elated to partner with ASCI. With the growth in miscommunication through advertisements which in turn harms the consumer, especially in these times, ASCI has a very important role to play. The new consumer protection regulations mean great empowerment for consumers. This is an opportunity for ASCI to make an even stronger impact and underscore its leadership role in consumer protection and responsible advertising. Pitchfork Partners will assist ASCI through its strategic counsel in this effort.”

  • With the Consumer Protection Act 2019 in force, ASCI hopes to collaborate with the Central Consumer Protection Authority and strengthen its bond with other government departments

    ASCI resolves 221 complaints of misleading ads in May

    By A Correspondent

     

    In May 2020, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) investigated complaints against 251 advertisements, of which 23 were promptly withdrawn by advertisers. ASCI acted against 222advertisements on a suo motu basis and its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) upheld 209 cases.

     

    Of the complaints, other than those against the withdrawn advertisements, the CCC evaluated 228 advertisements. Complaints against 221 were upheld. Of these, 162 belonged to the healthcare sector, 47 to education, 1 tofood and beverages, 1 to personal care and10 to other category. As the lockdown was enforced across India, several advertisers, especially in healthcare, made false claims about Covid-19 cures and preventions. The Ministry of AYUSH is reported to have sought help from ASCI to alert it about such advertisements. In the months of April and May over 100 such cases were flagged to the industry-governed regulator.

     

    Rohit Gupta

    Said Rohit Gupta, Chairman of ASCI: “We believe in the effectiveness of co-regulation – essentially self-regulation acting in alignment with government laws and guidelines. The new law is a tremendous opportunity for the advertising industry and brands to raise their standards even higher and to put the consumer firmly at the centre of their efforts. It paves the way for advertising that is more informative and honest while introducing serious disincentives for violators.”

     

    As an advertising self-regulator, ASCI has succeeded over the past 35 years to establish and maintain consumer trust in advertising, acting swiftly and effectively against misinformation. With the new law in place, ASCI is strengthening its monitoring mechanism by including digital media in it. Its National Advertising Monitoring Service already tracks potentially misleading ads nationally for suo motu action.

     

    On the impact of COVID-19 on the advertising industry in general and ASCI in particular, Gupta said: “The past four months have been extremely challenging as we got familiar with virtual processes of monitoring advertisements and the functioning of the CCC. All teams are now well aligned to ensure smooth processing and timely action.”

     

  • The Act is set to be enforced from July 20, 2020

    ASCI welcomes new Consumer Protection Act

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Standards Council of India has welcomed the new Consumer Protection Act. In a statement, Rohit Gupta, Chairman, ASCI commented on the new Consumer Protection Act:

     

    Rohit Gupta

    “ASCI welcomes the new Consumer Protection Act set to be enforced from July 20, 2020. Our efforts, as the advertising self-regulatory body, are also to protect the consumers’ interest. We expect to see a significant impact in the control of misleading advertisements – currently very high in educational as well as healthcare products and services sector and teleshopping genre. We would soon be launching monitoring of potentially misleading advertisements appearing on digital media, in addition to the print and TV surveillance. We see our role to be complementary and promoting responsible advertising by providing guidance to marketers and celebrities via Code for Self Regulation in Advertising and Guidelines thereof.”

     

     

  • The most common reason for upholding complaints was that the advertisements were misleading and exploited consumers’ lack of knowledge

    ASCI initiates action against ads violating guidelines for October 2019

    By A Correspondent

     

    During the month of October 2019, ASCI investigated complaints against 344 advertisements, of which 80 advertisements were withdrawn by the advertisers on receipt of communication from ASCI. The independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI evaluated 264 advertisements, of which complaints against 137 advertisements were upheld. Of these 137 advertisements, 89 belonged to the education sector, 29 belonged to the healthcare sector,  four to personal care,  two to the food & beverages sector, and 13 were from the ‘others’ category.

     

    In the CCC deliberations, the most common reason for upholding complaints was that the advertisements were misleading and exploited consumers’ lack of knowledge. This was followed by violations of ASCI Guidelines for Advertising of Educational Institutions and Programmes. The other reasons for complaints to be upheld were superlative claims and unsubstantiated claims of having won awards.

     

    Among various advertisements that were examined, the CCC observed that a top cricketer celebrity was endorsing ‘Instant payment’ claim being made by a well-known online platform for sale of second hand cars. An international automotive company, in their radio ad implied that consumers should not care for traffic rules hence showing a complete disregard for road safety. In the personal care category, a renowned personal care company founded by a beauty expert, mentioned SPF values that they could not substantiate by providing in vivo support data. A widely used sanitary napkin brand advertised its product to have long lasting cooling effect, which was unsubstantiated. Advertisements by hospitals offering IVF treatments were pulled up for making misleading claims regarding their success rates. An internet restaurant company’s claim of being the ‘World’s largest internet restaurant company’ was considered to be misleading in absence of relevant verifiable support data.

     

    The CCC also came across a significant number of advertisement pertaining to the education sector with the advertisers making unsubstantiated and superlative claims of being the most trusted, No. 1 or winning awards.

     

    Rohit Gupta

    Said Rohit Gupta, Chairman, ASCI: “Building on the momentum of the fine work done by the ASCI Secretariat in the past few years, for the year 2020 our resolve is to further strengthen the advertising ecosystem. This would be by means of new initiatives, enhanced processes and new guidelines that we plan to roll out in the coming months. These initiatives would not only benefit consumers but would also result in enhanced participation of industry members in effectively practising self-regulation in advertising.”

     

     

  • The independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI evaluated 385 advertisements, of which complaints against 344 advertisements were upheld

    ASCI pulls up misleading ads for Aug & Sep 2019

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Standards Council of India has reported that during the months of August and September 2019, it investigated complaints against 564 advertisements, of which 179 advertisements were promptly withdrawn by the advertisers on receipt of communication from ASCI. The independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI evaluated 385 advertisements, of which complaints against 344 advertisements were upheld. Of these 344 advertisements, 259 belonged to the education sector, 50 belonged to the healthcare sector,  eight to personal care,  eight to the food & beverages sector, and 19 were from the ‘others’ category.

     

    There were several prominent brands in the Food and Beverage sector making comparative claims regarding the product composition, taste preferences, health benefits or market leadership.  Many of the claims were not adequately substantiated. The CCC also considered the comparisons to be unfairly denigrating the entire category in which the advertiser brands were competing in. A leading dairy brand presented their butter cookies to be superior due to presence of 25 per cent butter and 0 per cent vegetable oil.  However they made a sweeping statement that “other” butter cookies contain only 0.3 to 3 per cent butter and 20 to 22 per cent vegetable oil without presenting any verifiable evidence. Another snack brand, endorsed by a prominent cricket celebrity claimed that up to 60 per cent of people said that their baked snack was tastier than other fried snack brands. However, this claim was not conclusively proven. The same celebrity also endorsed a leadership claim for a food supplement brand ‘No. 1 Supplement for Men’. As this ranking was achieved in the UK and not in India, the claim was considered to be misleading.

     

    Rohit Gupta

    Said Rohit Gupta, Chairman, ASCI: “Recently as per media reports, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a statement that that the advertisers must desist from making misleading claims and that the food companies could be liable to pay a fine of up to INR 10 lakhs. Consequences of misleading advertising are grave, not only for the public but also for advertisers as it damages their reputation and breaks consumers’ trust in their products. ASCI encourages advertisers to follow the ASCI Code for self-regulation in advertising and Guidelines for Food and Beverages sector in particular so that all stakeholder interests are taken care of.”

     

    EDUCATION: – 259 advertisements complained against

    Direct Complaints (8 advertisements)

    Suo Motu Surveillance by ASCI (251 advertisements)

     

    HEALTHCARE: – 50 advertisements complained against

    Direct Complaints (17 advertisements)

    Suo Motu Surveillance by ASCI (33 advertisements)

     

    PERSONAL CARE: – Eight advertisement complained against

    Direct Complaints (2 advertisements)

    Suo Motu Surveillance by ASCI (6 advertisements)

     

    FOOD AND BEVERAGES: – Eight advertisements complained against

     

    Direct Complaints (6 advertisements)

    Suo Motu Surveillance by ASCI 2 advertisements)

     

    OTHERS: – 19 advertisements complained against

     

    Direct Complaints (10 advertisements)

    Suo Motu Surveillance by ASCI (nine advertisements)

  • ASCI’s Guidelines for Celebrities in Advertising were not adhered by a consumer durable brand

    ASCI acts upon multiple ad complaints for July 2019

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has reported investigating complaints against 489 advertisements in July 2019,, of which 151 advertisements were promptly withdrawn by the advertisers on receipt of communication from ASCI. The independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI evaluated 338 advertisements, of which complaints against 299 advertisements were upheld. Of these 299 advertisements, 201 belonged to the education sector, 59 belonged to the healthcare sector,  nine to personal care,  four to the food & beverages sector, and 26 were from the ‘others’ category.

     

    Over 200 advertisements belonged to the education sector with advertisers making unsubstantiated claims such as being No. 1, holding awards or providing ‘100% placement’ misleading students and parents. Few educational institutes were observed to downplay their status of being a “Deemed to be University” and presenting it in a misleading manner by overly emphasising the word “University”.

     

    Said Rohit Gupta, Chairman, ASCI: “We have seen an increasing trend by advertisers to use reference of “Awards and rankings” to make superiority or leadership claims in their advertisements. These claims may mislead the consumer by communicating that the advertised institute, product or service is recognised, esteemed or evaluated by experts or a large body of experts, whereas this may not be the case. There are also dubious cases where such awards are self-sponsored. Effective November 1, 2019, ASCI is rolling out ‘Guidelines for Usage of Awards/Rankings in Advertisements’. This would ensure that the awards and rankings claimed are authentic and credible.”

     

     

  • Subhash Kamath, Managing Partner, BBH Communications India Pvt Ltd was elected the Vice-Chairman

    Rohit Gupta elected Chairman of ASCI

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rohit Gupta, President, Sony Pictures Networks was unanimously elected the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Advertising Standards Counciil of India (ASCI) at the Board meeting following the 33rd Annual General Meeting of ASCI. Subhash Kamath, Managing Partner, BBH Communications India Pvt Ltd was elected the Vice-Chairman and Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands was re-appointed Honorary Treasurer.

     

    Recalling his year at ASCI, the outgoing Chairman D Shivakumar, said: “ASCI is a voluntary job and a board led organisation. When I set out last year as the Chairman I had three objectives laid out. The first was to increase our membership base, the second to go digital and third to create awareness among consumers. Now thanks to the MIB directive our awareness has increased immensely, our WhatsApp number has seen a 3X increase in daily messages. We have increased our member base by 10%, our new members representing e-commerce, food & beverage, automotive sectors joining ASCI. ASCIs digital marketing campaigns would further boost awareness as well as compliance. I wish Rohit and the board the best for the year ahead.

     

    Added Gupta: “I am honoured to accept this role and look forward to the year ahead. With the inclusion of the internet into our everyday life and the constant evolution in the digital space, I feel that synchronizing ASCIs efforts in the Digital space will be our key focus for the year. The Council has covered a lot of ground in addressing the need for self-regulation in the digital medium and work is progressing rapidly to address that need. Additionally, we will continue our efforts to strengthen relationships with stakeholders in the year ahead.

     

     

  • The Awards are a “tribute to television with the purpose of bringing international recognition for quality content”

    Rohit Gupta & Sapangeet Rajwant on jury for Venice TV Awards. Entries close on Aug 9

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rohit Gupta, President, Sony Pictures Network and Sapangeet Rajwant Senior Vice President, Viacom18 Media are on the jury of the Venice TV Awards 2019. The last date for receipt of entries from TV channels, production companies and entities affiliated with the television industry is August 9.

     

    The property is supported by egta, ACT (Association of Commercial TV), and, according to a communique, is seen by the city of Venice as a statement that the TV Industry remains active and successful in today’s social media based society.

     

    Categories include Documentary, News, Light Entertainment, Program Promotion, Branded Entertainment, Sport, Children/Youth, Comedy, Performing Arts, Reality TV, Best Of Technical High Quality, Cross-Platform Programming, Best Series, Best TV Movie. A Grand Prix is given for the best production.

     

    Other than Gupta and Rajwant, the Jury for the awards show is composed of leading international TV experts, including Malin Hager President EGTA Sweden, Nikola Caligiore of Rai Italy and European Broadcasting Union, Dr Markus Schafer of Allianz Nederlands,Sonia Rovai of Sky Italia André Takada, Fox Network Latin America, Igor Tavares, Producer TVGlobo Brazil; Michal Pacina of Prima TV, Elke Walthelm of Sky Germany and Lothaire Burg Creative Director, ARTE, Michael Hajek of ORF Austria.