Recommendations to Deal with Unethical Advertisements

There is, to my mind, an urgent need for the central government to make a law or create a body to rein in the use of misleading contents and presentation in advertisements by the companies in the country. There should, in fact, be something like an advertisement ethic, as against the free-for-all ethos, so that people in general and the young generation in particular may not feel eventually that they have been cheated.

There are advertisements in which, by use of technology, superhuman acts are shown. Well, they may be entertaining; but they misguide the young generation, which starts living in that dream world, and adults find them specious and ludicrous. These advertisements can make India a world cup champion in their virtual world; in reality, however, we find that the Indian team does not go beyond the league stage. Our fielders are a laughing stock on the real ground; however, there is an advertisement which shows that although a fielder is giving his autograph, while the match is on,there is no problem, as the fielder is a superhuman or a technology man, who, by the mere touch of a finger, can send back the ball so accurately as to run a batsman out. Nonsense. Only by presenting a dog as a lion in a drawing cannot make a real dog a real lion.

Then, there are advertisements that make false claims, which is a blatant misuse of the right to freedom of expression. There are shampoo and soap advertisements claiming that if the shampoo or soap concerned is used, then hairfall will stop, hair will stop greying, etc. Several people misguided by these advertisements have turned bald and old-looking. There should be a rigorous verification of the authenticity of such claims.

In sum, advertisements are not to be considered only a means of entertainment, as they shape our young generation, and so are responsible for what kind of future citizens our country is going to get. Further, they by way of entertainment, should not give the impression that entertainment