The ISA has been at the forefront at promulgating self-regulation for the Advertising Industry. It has played a leadership role in evolving various codes of conduct which address concerns relating to fairness in competition, truthfulness in information, sensitivity and dignity in language, sensitivity and dignity in the depiction of women and children, health wellness, self regulation, environment
al protection etc. Some of its achievements in this area are:
It has been the founder member and promoter of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), which lays down and enforces the code of self-regulation in advertising based on the following basic guidelines:
Ensure truthfulness in advertising and safeguard against misleading representations. Ensure advertisements are not offensive to accepted standards of public decency. Safeguard against indiscriminate use of advertising to promote products which are hazardous to society. To ensure the observance of fairness in competition while protecting the consumers right to be informed of choices in the market place. It has enunciated a code of ethical conduct for advertising in the outdoor medium. This code was put together in collaboration with advertising agencies, the Bombay Municipal Corporation and the outdoor media. As a member of the WFA has been engaged in the global discussion on use of women and children in advertising. During 2005 it pro-actively interacted with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to have incorporated in the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 that the violation of the ASCI code will be seen as a violation of the said Act.
