‘Ads in newspapers are most trusted by consumers’

Eight out of ten consumers exhibited trust in advertising, according to a study commissioned by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA).

In the research by Nielsen, advertising in newspapers emerged, as the most trusted by consumers, closely followed by ads displayed on TV and Radio. However, Text and SMS ads were found to be least trusted.

The study also found that consumers displayed “very high level of trust” for ads of educational institutions. Ads of home care products such as detergents, mosquito repellents, also enjoy relatively higher trust levels. However, real estate advertisements were amongst the least trusted by consumers, according to the “Trust in Advertising” report. Meanwhile, 70 per cent of the respondents said they trusted ads featuring celebrities.

Stating that ASCI finds a significant number of misleading ads coming from the education sector, Manisha Kapoor, Secretary General, ASCI added that given these findings, the organisation’s job of monitoring the education sector becomes even more crucial.

“In India, the poorest of people prioritise spends on education over other necessities. Educational institutions often promise job guarantees or make false claims of being the No 1 without any objective data or evidence,” she added.

Television most common

TV was found to be the most common medium for consumption of advertising, followed by digital, print and radio. The report stated that viewership of TV ads is being driven by non-metro markets. At the same time, viewership of ads on digital platforms was found to be at similar levels in rural regions (82 per cent) and metros (83 per cent).

“In terms of shifts, consumers put greater trust in advertisements consumed on TV, print, radio, social media, outdoor and search engines as compared to the findings of a similar survey conducted by Nielsen in 2015, but there is a fall in the percentage of consumers trusting text messages over this period (58 per cent vs. 52 per cent ),” the report added. The sample size for the research included consumers across age groups in 20 centres in India, including metros and smaller towns.

Misleading ads

While one-third of the consumers are “most likely” to discuss misleading ads with family and friends, one-third tend to post on social media or report misleading ads. “However, almost 30 per cent of consumers do not take any action when they come across misleading ads,” the report pointed out. The self-regulatory advertising body said it has been focusing on ensuring all the possible tools are available for consumers to report misleading ads.

“ASCI feels responsible for not only maintaining consumer trust in advertising but also guiding brands to advertise honestly and impactfully. Consumer trust and brand reputation are some of the most valuable assets an organisation owns, and honest advertising is a key to building brand value,” Kapoor added.