<p>Mumbai: Advertising sector's self-regulatory body ASCI on Thursday red-flagged the rampant breach of norms by social media influencers, saying 69 per cent of such 'digital stars' have been found violating guidelines while promoting brands.</p>.<p>Over 110 million followers of these top influencers are exposed to undisclosed brand promotions, as per an official statement.</p>.<p>Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) undertook a study of top-100 digital stars, which revealed that 69 per cent of them failed to meet disclosure guidelines set for social media influencers, it said.</p>.<p>Prominent disclosures are a must in case of any material connection as per the guidelines of ASCI as well as the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).</p>.<p>"...the findings highlight worrying gaps in advertising transparency, raising concerns about the non-compliant practices in influencer campaigns. The results call for urgent action from advertisers, agencies, and influencers to align with compliance requirements in order to avoid regulatory consequences," the ASCI report said.</p>.Stop assuming a one-size-fits-all digital future .<p>The study analysed brand promotion posts by influencers featuring in 'Forbes India's Top 100 Digital Stars 2024' across Instagram and YouTube between September and November 2024.</p>.<p>Of the 100 posts scrutinised, 29 carried adequate disclosures, 2 cases were dismissed as influencers were able to provide evidence of no material connection while in 69 cases, non-disclosure violations were confirmed, ASCI said.</p>.<p>It said 56.8 per cent of the violations pertained to absence of the disclosure label, and 43.2 per cent cases pertained to disclosures being buried in hashtags and not being prominently displayed as required by ASCI and CCPA guidelines.</p>.<p>Fashion and lifestyle, telecom products, and personal care sectors emerged as the top three violators and accounted for 62 per cent of the violations, it said.</p>.<p>"Even top influencers have a disappointing rate of adherence to the principles of transparency and audience trust. There is an urgent need for agencies, influencers, and brands to take note of this and course-correct," the body's chief executive and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said. PTI AA HVA</p>
<p>Mumbai: Advertising sector's self-regulatory body ASCI on Thursday red-flagged the rampant breach of norms by social media influencers, saying 69 per cent of such 'digital stars' have been found violating guidelines while promoting brands.</p>.<p>Over 110 million followers of these top influencers are exposed to undisclosed brand promotions, as per an official statement.</p>.<p>Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) undertook a study of top-100 digital stars, which revealed that 69 per cent of them failed to meet disclosure guidelines set for social media influencers, it said.</p>.<p>Prominent disclosures are a must in case of any material connection as per the guidelines of ASCI as well as the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).</p>.<p>"...the findings highlight worrying gaps in advertising transparency, raising concerns about the non-compliant practices in influencer campaigns. The results call for urgent action from advertisers, agencies, and influencers to align with compliance requirements in order to avoid regulatory consequences," the ASCI report said.</p>.Stop assuming a one-size-fits-all digital future .<p>The study analysed brand promotion posts by influencers featuring in 'Forbes India's Top 100 Digital Stars 2024' across Instagram and YouTube between September and November 2024.</p>.<p>Of the 100 posts scrutinised, 29 carried adequate disclosures, 2 cases were dismissed as influencers were able to provide evidence of no material connection while in 69 cases, non-disclosure violations were confirmed, ASCI said.</p>.<p>It said 56.8 per cent of the violations pertained to absence of the disclosure label, and 43.2 per cent cases pertained to disclosures being buried in hashtags and not being prominently displayed as required by ASCI and CCPA guidelines.</p>.<p>Fashion and lifestyle, telecom products, and personal care sectors emerged as the top three violators and accounted for 62 per cent of the violations, it said.</p>.<p>"Even top influencers have a disappointing rate of adherence to the principles of transparency and audience trust. There is an urgent need for agencies, influencers, and brands to take note of this and course-correct," the body's chief executive and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said. PTI AA HVA</p>