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The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has issued a statement to say it has invoked a special process called “Suspended Pending Investigation” (SPI) against Layer’r whose controversial ads have been banned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting today. The ministry ordered the suspension of the two controversial deodorant advertisements by the perfume brand for its new body spray ‘Shot’.
The council said it has written to the advertiser on June 3, informing them of the decision to suspend the advertising, and invited the advertiser’s response which would be tabled before the Consumer Complaints Council in the coming days.
It said in in exceptional circumstances like these, when it appears that an advertisement is in serious breach of its and its continued transmission can cause public harm or its continuation is against public interest, then the council would, pending investigation direct the advertiser or advertising agency or the media buying agency and the media concerned to suspend the advertisement.
The council added it has received confirmation that the channel that originally aired the ad has already pulled it down. It said it also noted that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has intervened to ensure that the advertisement is also pulled down from social media channels.
In most cases while it said provides an opportunity for the advertiser to put forth their arguments before a recommendation is provided on the ad. The council said it had been alerted about the advertisement of the deodorant product, Layer’r which was potentially in serious violation of “chapter II” of its code against offensive advertising.
It added that its Consumer Complaints Council shall adjudicate whether or not the advertisement is in breach of the code and pass appropriate order accordingly, after giving a reasonable opportunity of hearing to the advertiser whose advertisement has been suspended.
The ad, it added, is in potential violation of its chapter which states that advertisements should contain nothing indecent, vulgar, especially in the depiction of women, or nothing repulsive which is likely, in the light of generally prevailing standards of decency and propriety, to cause grave and widespread offence.
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