On June 4, 2024, Anupam Mittal, founder and CEO of People Group and Shaadi.com, criticized the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for mandating a Self-Declaration Certificate for all advertisers. Mittal voiced his concerns on X (formerly Twitter), questioning how digital advertisers, who create hundreds of ads monthly, will comply with this rule.
This is completely unviable. https://t.co/0iC65sbNew@MIB_India How will digital advertisers who create 100s of creatives a month comply with a directive like that? This will hurt our digital competitiveness globally by increasing costs and slowing us down ?
— Anupam Mittal (@AnupamMittal) June 4, 2024
Impact on Advertisers
Mittal argued that this new rule would increase costs and slow down the digital advertising industry in India, affecting its global competitiveness. He believes that the added burden of compliance could hinder the industry's efficiency and growth.
Mixed Reactions from Netizens
The response to Mittal's tweet was mixed. While some users agreed with his concerns about increased costs and operational slowdowns, others supported the new rule. They argued that it is necessary to control misleading ads and protect consumers from false advertising.
Implementation of the New Rule
The Self-Declaration Certificate mandate will take effect on June 18, 2024. Advertisers will need to submit certificates through different portals depending on the media type:
For TV and radio ads, certificates must be submitted on the Broadcast Seva Portal of the MIB.
For print and digital media ads, certificates should be submitted on the Press Council of India's portal.
