ASCI pulls up Rcomm, Idea for misleading ads

BANGALORE, INDIA: Telecom players Reliance Communication and Idea Cellular were among 15 companies pulled up by Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) for running misleading ad campaigns from July to October, 2009.

For Reliance Communication, it had to suspend a television commercial as the company failed to substantiate its claim that the it is the "fastest mobile broadband service in India" "with comparative data of other mobile services", said a PTI report.

"RCOM has already responded to ASCI and is making necessary modifications in the TVC," the report quoted a spokesperson from Reliance Communication as saying.

Another telecom major Idea Cellular was pulled up for its “Walk when you talk” campaign, which, according to ASCI, encouraged unsafe act of walking while talking on the mobile phone, says a Telecom Talk report.

This, says ASCI, manifested a disregard for safety without justifiable reason.