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 George Cheriyan, one of the well-known consumer activists and food safety experts, is appointed as a member of the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The appointment is for a period of two years from April 1, 2024.
ASCI, established in 1985, is committed to the cause of self-regulation in advertising, ensuring the protection of the interests of consumers. ASCI seeks to ensure that advertisements conform to its Code for Self-Regulation, which requires advertisements to be legal, decent, honest, and truthful, and not hazardous or harmful, while observing fairness in competition.
The CCC of ASCI functions as its examining body, which considers complaints raised and the response of the advertiser, and gives its recommendations on whether the advertisement in question violates the provisions of the Code. George also represents consumers in various regulatory/policy making bodies such as Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and many other similar policy making bodies and committees.
George also holds a position as a member of the Global Think Tank on Sustainable Consumption hosted by Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), Stockholm since 2017. George also was appointed in May 2023, to the Scientific Board of Competere, Italy, which advocates for sustainable policies in the European Union.
George has a distinct honour of being awarded the prestigious Rhoda Karpatkin International Consumer Award in 2013 by American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI). George hails from Ayroor in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala and presently based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
According to estimates, about one-third or half of a business’s market capitalisation is represented by its brand reputation. Thus, consumer trust is the key to corporate success. Advertising self-regulation, through the promotion of responsible advertising, helps build consumer trust in brands which inspires brand loyalty and that in turn leads to growth in sales and market share. Maximised returns on long term investments in advertising benefit not only advertisers but also agencies and media, who will see a higher demand for creative yet responsible advertising.
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