Partha Sinha has been elected as the new chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). Storyboard18 was the first to report about Sinha’s appointment. He succeeds Saugata Gupta, the managing director and CEO of Marico Limited, who was elected as chairman of the ASCI board for 2023-24.
In a conversation with Storyboard18, Sinha, who termed his appointment a massive responsibility, stated, “ASCI has a very significant role to play not just in the advertising ecosystem but also in society. When you’re the chairman, it is absolutely imperative to be acutely aware of the responsibility which has been bestowed upon you. I would not have taken it up unless and until I wanted to do it and I actually wanted to do it.”
Since most large advertising agencies and advertisers are part of ASCI, the change Sinha wishes to see is that the small and medium-sized advertisers and digital companies that are creating consumer communication also become members of the council. “There will be laws of the land, but communication will progress faster than the law changes. Therefore, unless and until self-regulation and responsibility become the cornerstone of communication, we will not be able to protect consumer interest,” Sinha stressed.
He added, “The whole idea of ASCI being created was not because what advertisements were getting produced but what advertisements were getting consumed. Today, at ASCI, we have made a lot of progress. We don’t have to wait for consumers to complain. We pick it up ourselves.”
As the newly elected chairman, Sinha’s focus is on three key areas.
One is, as stated earlier, to bring D2C brands and the smallest of advertisers into the ASCI fold. Since a lot of new people are entering the industry, the need to get educated about responsible advertising is critical. Sinha said, “We have created ASCI Academy, we have created lovely courses. This year, our job is to make sure that the majority of the people go through ASCI certification.”
Sinha said they have been doing very significant thought leadership pieces because things progress much faster than the law can evolve, adding that they have been well-appreciated for their work on dark patterns.
He said, “Our relationship with all the global self-regulation bodies have improved tremendously. Work needs to be done in the thought leadership area, because things will progress much faster than you would have been anticipating. Unless and until you’re thinking about what is going to happen to the future of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), what is going to happen to the future of dark patterns, what will happen to the future of digital self-regulation? You need to be a little ahead of the curve or you will not be able to create a meaningful engagement with the industry.”
Sinha has worn many hats in a career of over three decades. He has held the position of a nuclear design engineer, a banker, a strategy and marketing head of media and internet companies and as an advertising strategist.
Sinha, who is also president and chief brand officer of Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd, has been associated with organisations and agencies like Citibank, Zee, Ogilvy & Mather, McCann World Group, BBH and Publicis in the past.
He has won numerous trophies including Effies, WARC awards and Cannes Lions.
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