ASCI 2032: Can trust become the new first line of defence?

Advertising has always worked on one fundamental currency — trust. A consumer may be attracted by a creative idea, persuaded by a celebrity or influenced by a compelling offer, but the relationship with a brand ultimately depends on whether the promise made is believable.

This is what makes the Advertising Standards Council of India’s Vision 2032 particularly relevant. ASCI has played an important role in encouraging responsible advertising in India. Its new roadmap takes that responsibility into a very different advertising environment — one where communication moves faster, reaches consumers across multiple platforms and is increasingly shaped by technology.

The idea of building a “trust infrastructure” for advertising is therefore both timely and important.

The opportunity for ASCI is to move increasingly from being a body that responds to questionable advertising to one that can anticipate potential problems and intervene early.

From complaint to prevention

This could be one of the biggest changes in the way self-regulation works.

A misleading claim can travel a long distance before anyone has the opportunity to question it. In today's digital environment, a post, reel or influencer recommendation can reach millions within hours.

This makes proactive monitoring critical.

ASCI has already strengthened its proactive surveillance of advertising across traditional and digital media. The next phase could see technology play an even greater role in identifying potentially problematic claims and bringing them to the attention of brands before they become larger consumer concerns.

The objective should be simple: don't wait for the consumer to complain when technology can help identify the problem earlier.

Social media changes the game

The advertising ecosystem has expanded far beyond conventional advertisements. Influencers, creators, branded content, short-form videos, marketplaces and social platforms have created an enormous and constantly changing communication landscape.

Monitoring this ecosystem requires technology, intelligence and speed.

It is not enough to discover that a claim was misleading after it has already reached millions. The response mechanism also needs to be fast enough to engage with the advertiser and encourage corrective action while the communication is still live.

This is perhaps where ASCI's Vision 2032 can make its biggest difference.

Trust needs a regular report card

There is another opportunity that could make this entire process even more transparent.

ASCI could consider creating a monthly or quarterly “Advertising Trust Monitor” — a simple industry report that tells the market what is happening.

It could highlight the number of advertisements proactively scrutinised, the broad categories where concerns were identified, the nature of the violations, the number of advertisements modified or withdrawn and areas where repeat concerns are emerging.

Importantly, this need not become a naming-and-shaming exercise.

The purpose could be to create industry learning and accountability.

If, for example, misleading health claims, financial promises, education claims or sustainability claims repeatedly emerge as problem areas, the industry should know about it. Agencies can use the information to strengthen their internal checks. Brands can review their own communication. Influencers can understand where greater care is required.

And where brands repeatedly ignore established guidelines, ASCI's reporting can make such patterns visible within the framework permitted by its processes.

That would create a useful form of peer accountability.

Make brands part of the solution

Self-regulation can never be a one-sided exercise.

ASCI can provide the framework, monitor advertising and flag concerns. But brands, agencies, influencers and platforms have to cooperate.

A responsible brand should ideally ask whether a claim is defensible before the campaign reaches the market, rather than waiting to see whether somebody challenges it.

This is where self-regulation becomes meaningful.

ASCI's guidelines should not be viewed simply as a compliance checklist. They can become part of the creative and marketing process itself.

The best outcome is not an advertisement being withdrawn after a violation. The better outcome is the questionable claim being identified and corrected before the advertisement is released.

Speed has to become a virtue

Digital advertising does not wait.

A campaign can be created in the morning, amplified by influencers in the afternoon and reach millions by evening. The machinery that monitors advertising therefore needs to work at comparable speed.

ASCI's future challenge is not merely to monitor more advertisements. It is to detect faster, communicate faster and facilitate correction faster.

This is where AI and other technology can potentially play an important role. The same technology that is transforming advertising can also help monitor advertising at scale.

AI brings a new responsibility

Artificial intelligence is going to change the advertising landscape significantly. Claims can be generated faster, content can be personalised at scale and synthetic images and videos can make communication increasingly difficult to distinguish from reality.

But AI can also become part of the solution.

The ability to scan enormous volumes of communication, identify potentially problematic claims and detect patterns could give ASCI a powerful new layer of surveillance.

The future could therefore see technology working alongside human judgement rather than replacing it.

The larger objective: protect consumer confidence

Ultimately, this is not just about regulating advertising.

It is about protecting the credibility of the entire advertising ecosystem.

Consumers should be able to believe that when a brand makes a claim, there is a reasonable basis behind it. Brands that communicate responsibly should also benefit because responsible advertising creates a more trustworthy marketplace.

This is why the industry's cooperation with ASCI is so important.

Brands should not wait for ASCI to knock on the door. Agencies should build ASCI's principles into their planning and creative processes. Influencers should understand their responsibility when making commercial recommendations. Platforms can also play a role in helping responsible communication travel further.