Mamaearth’s parent, Patanjali Ayurved, Firstcry among key ad spenders in FY24

Yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd may have been struck down by the Supreme Court over its misleading advertisements, but the biggest advertising challenger in FY24 was Mamaearth parent Honasa Consumer Pvt. Ltd, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) said on Wednesday.

ASCI found Honasa to be the biggest offender with 187 such ads, followed by gaming companies WinDaddy and Fun88 India with 98 each.

Honasa also carries products such as Dr. Sheth’s Skin and Hair Clinic, Aqualogica, The Derma Co. and Ayuga.

ASCI said in a report that Patanjali was involved in as many as 28 advertising violations in FY24.

These included deals for products such as DantKanti toothpaste, chyawanprash, Ayurvedic anti-infectives, heart medicines, creams, honey, sprays, and orthopedic and pain relief tablets, the report said. said.

Women’s fashion retail platform Urbanic’s parent Maysquare Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd, Rummy24 run by Ability Games as well as cosmetics brand Renee Cosmetics were also among the companies allegedly violating advertising standards.

Other companies on the list include Bright Lifecare Pvt. Ltd with MuscleBlaze and HealthKart and firms like Unacademy and FirstCry.

Interestingly, betting and gaming companies have overtaken health care firms that make false claims of magic cures as the most anti-aging ads this year, the report said.

The majority or 85% of all complaints made against false and misleading advertising last year were made for those appearing on digital platforms.

Of all the ads listed, more than 1,300 illegal gambling ads were reported to the information and broadcasting department, as well as about 150 ads advertising alcohol and cigarettes and vapes, ASCI said. About 1,250 advertisements for drugs and magic remedies have been reported in the Ayush department. About 250 publishers were reported during the year for possible violations of the Drugs and Magic Medicines Act, 1954 (DMR).

Most of them were website ads from marketplaces and 91% of these ads were offensive because they dealt with the care and improvement of “sexual ability”.

Advertisements for several products are prohibited by various national laws. For example, advertisements for drugs that claim to offer “miracle cures”, betting and gambling services, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products are all illegal.

Digital marketing

These ads usually appear on digital platforms, which many brands use to promote such products. Additionally, while some categories are specifically prohibited from advertising, others, such as real estate, must include specific information such as registration numbers and QR codes in their ads. Failure to provide this mandatory information also constitutes an offence.

“The number of ads that have breached digital trends has almost tripled in the last 3-4 years. This is because for many marketing teams they have moved to digital again, as opposed to television, in general there are more commercials now than a few years ago,” said Manisha Kapoor, CEO and general secretary of the council.

Recently Mint reported that the government is working with a three-ministerial task force to deal with harmful advertisements to rule in the problems caused by digital advertisements.

Also Read: Patanjali soan papdi fails quality test, three fined and sent to jail

Interest in general, in the health care sector has increased after this epidemic, which may lead to many more advertisements in this category.

Also, health care companies previously used hyperlocal and regional newspapers to advertise their products where they could avoid being caught. Most of those businesses are doing digital marketing now.

Another major category that had damaging ads was skin and personal care with 98% of the 1,000 1,000 ads, which ASCI looked at, requiring correction. This so-called segment was almost entirely advertising, with 95% of ads seen on digital media. Of this, at most, 55% were approved by influencers.