With celebrities facing flak over brand endorsements, the Central Consumer Protection Council (CCPC) on Tuesday said they should be made liable for ‘misleading advertisements’.
“The Council's view was that celebrities should be responsible for misleading advertisements,” Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said after the CCPC meeting. Paswan, who is the CCPC chairman, said the Council was also of the view that there should be guidelines for brand ambassadors. Celebrities should think twice before endorsing any product/service, the minister said, adding that “one should use common sense approach while endorsing. If an advertisement says a person can get taller in six months using this particular product. Is it possibleIJ”
Consumers are getting misled because they tend to listen and believe that the particular product/service endorsed by celebrities must be of good quality, he added. Some celebrities have come under fire recently for endorsing brands misleading consumers.