Offshore Betting and Real Estate Top ASCI's 2024-25 Ad Violations Report

Offshore betting platforms and real estate advertisements have emerged as the biggest violators in India’s advertising landscape, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) revealed in its Annual Complaints Report for 2024-25. In a year that saw an 83 per cent surge in ads flagged by consumers, a staggering 98 per cent of all scrutinised ads required modifications, the report said.

The self-regulatory watchdog processed 9,599 complaints and examined 7,199 advertisements over the past year. Offshore betting alone accounted for 43 per cent of all cases, followed by real estate at 24.9 per cent, personal care (5.7 per cent), healthcare (5.23 per cent), and food and beverage (4.69 per cent). In total, 3,081 ads of illegal offshore betting platforms were flagged, 318 of them promoted by social media influencers. These ads, along with others for unauthorised forex trading apps, alcohol, and magic remedies, fall under categories explicitly prohibited by law.

Adding to concerns, 47.5 per cent of the total ads were found to promote harmful products or situations, while 56 per cent were deemed misleading.

Influencer marketing came under tighter scrutiny this year, with ASCI investigating 1,015 influencer-led promotions. Nearly all (98 per cent) were found non-compliant with advertising disclosure norms. Notably, 121 of these violations occurred on LinkedIn, where professionals failed to mark paid partnerships clearly. This prompted ASCI to issue a targeted advisory aimed at ensuring transparency on the career-oriented platform.

Influencer violations now account for 14 per cent of the ads processed by ASCI, underscoring the challenges of regulating brand endorsements in the age of algorithmic virality.

Meanwhile, a staggering 94.4 per cent of the violative ads emerged from digital platforms, while TV and print trailed far behind at 2.6 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively. The watchdog noted that 89 per cent of the ads were flagged through its own proactive monitoring, while complaints from external sources, including the general public, accounted for the remaining 11 per cent.

Still, the public’s role in holding advertisers accountable is growing, it said. Complaints from consumers jumped by over 83 per cent compared to the previous year.

ASCI also claimed a 46 per cent improvement in its average complaint resolution turnaround time, now down to 16 days. This acceleration was largely due to the growing number of advertisers (59 per cent) who chose to voluntarily withdraw or modify their ads when contacted.

Overall, compliance with ASCI advisories stood at 83 per cent, with television and print media clocking near-perfect adherence at 98 per cent. The organisation credited this to streamlined processes and a significant drop in contested claims.