The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has rolled out its first influencer-driven consumer awareness initiative focused on tackling greenwashing and dark patterns — two increasingly prevalent practices that can mislead consumers in digital environments. The campaign is part of ASCI Academy’s broader mission to help individuals better understand and evaluate advertising claims.
Through this initiative, influencers will guide audiences on how to question sustainability claims, interpret eco-labels and differentiate genuine environmental commitments from marketing jargon. The campaign will also spotlight dark patterns such as hidden charges, basket sneaking and misleading choice architecture that subtly push users toward unintended decisions.
Creators associated with the campaign include Shraddha Jain, Aalekh Kapoor, Sakchi Jain, Ashutosh Pratap Singh, Pankti Pandey, Vinod Kumar, Aisha Ahmed, and content creators Sangeeth and Kavya.
Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General, ASCI, said: “Consumer Education is a key pillar of ASCI Academy. In addition to Ad-Wise, which is our school programme to build advertising literacy amongst a million school students, we are hoping to harness the credibility of voices trusted in the digital sphere to raise awareness around the two misleading practices of greenwashing and dark patterns. We aim to empower consumers to spot red flags and critically question claims they encounter in advertising.”
In addition to the campaign, ASCI Academy recently introduced an e-learning programme titled ‘Ethical UI/UX Designs’, aimed at helping advertisers identify and eliminate deceptive design techniques. The course outlines common dark patterns, their consequences for consumers and compliant alternatives aligned with ASCI’s codes.
ASCI has also been actively publishing research and issuing guidelines to curb misleading practices. Its 2024 ‘Conscious Patterns’ report found that 52 of India’s top 53 apps deployed dark patterns such as drip pricing and privacy manipulation, potentially limiting user autonomy. ASCI’s guidelines on environmental and green claims, introduced in 2024, have led to the review of 236 cases, all of which required modifications.
These educational efforts are undertaken under ASCI Academy, supported by organisations including Diageo India, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Mondelez International, Nestlé, Cipla Health, Coca-Cola, Colgate, Games 24×7, PepsiCo, P&G, Kenvue and Bajaj Auto.
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