Asian Paints Limited - Asian Paints

Recommendation: Not Upheld | Medium: General Public

The ASCI had approached the advertiser for its response in addressing the grievances of the complainant and forwarded the details of the complaint, verbatim, to the advertiser with a request to respond to the same. The advertiser was offered an option to seek an Informal Resolution (IR) of the complaint by modifying or withdrawing advertisement, or alternately to respond to the objections raised in the complaint. The advertiser was also offered an opportunity for a telecon with the ASCI Secretariat, which they did not avail and submitted their response through their advocates. The advocate on behalf of the advertiser stated that, “The Concerned Ad depicts a fictitious marketplace in Morocco, which is a North African country, bordering the Atlantic ocean. It is pertinent to mention here that there are no religious identifiers in the Concerned Ad and nothing in the Concerned Ad contains anything which suggests or conveys any religious attributes. At no point, the Concerned Ad suggests, implies or expressly states that any of the parties involved belong to a specific religion or gender. Therefore, the Concerned Ad is not objectionable, does not promote and propagate Islamophobia or Sexism, and is not stereotypical”. The advocate shared a copy of the storyboard as part of their response. The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) viewed the Twitter advertisement (https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fprotect.checkpoint.com%2fv2%2fr05%2f___https%3a%2f x.com%2fasianpaints%2fstatus%2f1860224195285910012%2f___.YXBzMTphc2lhbnBhaW50czpjOm86NTcwY2 E4Mjg4OWRlMjFjYzliZGVkMTMwYzAxNDMzZmE6NzphMDEzOmEyODgwNzg1YTM4NDlhZGQ2ZDFlZjVj NDc0ZGY2OGZiZTM1MzI3Njg0OGQ4NDI4NGUwODk0ODM1NTNmZjk5MGE6aDpGOkY&c=E,1,J4BgFqvS AHe9jyCM2az1yTpqNPIQ1ZKezBeTvUyj2LLdXenI1sXbeMGLwflZALN PtePPPTVvSju_A4w6JwxjtCCL6YKarPEH1Gb5ZvxAHhgMqV83qB7&typo=1) considered the complaint and the advocate’s response. The CCC noted the advocate’s response that the advertisement presents a fictional market place in Morocco, a country located in North Africa. The CCC discussed that the advertisement does not include any religious symbols, references, or features that suggest the individuals depicted belong to a specific religion or gender. It also does not use images, language, or contexts that could be offensive or promote stereotypes. Based on these observations, the CCC concluded that the advertisement is not in contravention of Chapter III of the ASCI Code. This complaint was NOT UPHELD