Moral policing of advertising in India

By Seema Sengupta

KOLKATA ― Indian society is nowadays grappling with the issue of moral policing of advertisements. As the government seeks to maintain public morality and social progress through forced intervention and banning commercials perceived to be injurious to societal discipline, the nation continues to debate the efficacy of such authoritarian diktat.

For a fast growing economy like India with a huge consumer base, the advertising business actually provides the necessary stimulus for market growth by generating product demand. In fact this billion-dollar industry leaves a lasting impression on the nation’s diverse culture and political system apart from manipulating economic activity.

Having emerged from a tightly controlled socialistic model of market system, India is yet to adapt to this promotional tool offering diversity in choice and often linked to capitalism for its competitiveness.

Perhaps this hangover remains the fountainhead of the controversial administrative decision to monitor advertising standards vigorously while simultaneously enforcing the modification of raunchy television commercials of reputed brands.

Despite Advertising Standards Council of India’s (ASCI) denial of government unilateralism, many believe that the state is actually trying to position itself as a scrutinizer of business ethics in the garb of regulation. This school of thought has even trashed the concept of using social morality as a guide to evolve an appropriate regulatory standard in consonance with Indian principles.

Instead, their prescription emphasizes on accepting consumption behavior as the defining factor in regulating market communiques. If an obscene commercial fails to abet consumer purchase, the manufacturer will be forced to withdraw it.

Since society is still struggling to create a moral statute for binding humanity, impeding the creativity of industry professionals on ethical grounds is completely irrational, opines the liberal school. However not everybody in India is ready to condone cheeky gestures through suggestive advertisements.

The orthodox view of cheap and sensational promotions being the catalyst for societal degeneration is gaining popular acceptance. Even ASCI is propagating the concept of self-regulation within the industry in consonance with their tag line “regulate yourself or someone else will.”

They are encouraging youths to voice their opinion on questionable campaigns through the organization’s social networking accounts.

“The social networking platform is just one more tool used by ASCI to spread awareness of self regulation and ethics in advertising”, Secretary General Alan Collaco pointed out to this journalist. That the effort is bearing fruit can be gauged from the 722 complaints received against 187 advertisements by mid 2011 as compared to the 200 registered cases during the same period last year.

ASCI's consumer complaints council has upheld grievances against 34 errant advertisers between November 2010 and February 2011. With a more than 80 percent success rate ― one of the highest worldwide, the regulatory body is determined to put in a semblance of discipline by drawing the line of decency somewhere.

The challenge would be to look for an alternative that reinforces the codes of conduct without stifling creativity. It is indeed difficult to single out promotional storylines from overall mass media programs for blasphemous content especially when the modern day audience seems to indulge titillation passively.

Reputed Indian ad film makers believe that it would be unfair to single out commercials when other media can show obscenity. However, some of them are indeed pushing the stake a bit too much, taking refuge in the alibi of an advertisements being nothing more than a mirror image of the degrading attitude and values of our surrounding environment.

Condoning such gross misconduct might at the end of the day encourage a lampooning culture that violates civility. There is also an ethical aspect attached to this communication field. Advertising should at the least attempt to shape the reality it reflects instead of glorifying the exceptions for commercial gain.

We must not gloss over the fact that this platform does have the capability to influence a market-driven economy in adopting socially responsive norms that ultimately benefit human development. Surely, the pervasive character of this medium can also be exploited in shaping the attitude of today’s conflict-ridden society positively.

After all the conscience of an advertising professional remains the indispensable guarantor of upholding moral order. Since advertising has always sought to transgress all barriers in its bid to sell a brand, it remains to be seen whether the government ends up enforcing the limits of acceptability on creative artists whatever the commercial consequences might be.

Seema Sengupta is an independent journalist based in Kolkata, India. She can be reached at sengupta.seema@gmail.com.