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30 September 2015TrademarksLucy Rana and Rupin Chopra

The power of famous faces

There’s a reason why almost all advertisements seen on Indian television feature celebrities. We live in a country that is constantly in awe of celebrities. We put them on sky-high pedestals where they become these unearthly, unattainable, infallible entities that everybody wants to emulate and associate with.

Celebrity worship is no longer just a topic of media interest—it has become a focus of serious psychological investigation around the world, and some might say that India is the worst case of it.

A research paper published by the Indian Journal of Applied Research in December 2013 demonstrates the impact that celebrity endorsements have on consumer behaviour and that advertisers have been exploiting this mindless obsession of ours since time immemorial.

Celebrities are well paid to give their backing to a product featured in a film advertisement, and consumers, too preoccupied to render much thought, go to the stores and purchase it. In a land where superstars are worshipped and treated like gods, the impact of celebrity endorsements on consumer behaviour assumes a massive role.

What does the law say?

In India, consumers are entitled to bring their grievances to the tribunals set up under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 under section 2(1)(r), which lays down the provision for “unfair trade practice” and includes false claims made for promoting the sale of any goods.

Additionally, section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 imposes restrictions on advertisements and states that no person shall engage him/herself in any unfair trade practice for the purpose of promoting the sale, supply, use and consumption of articles of food or adopt any unfair or deceptive practice including the practice of making any statement, whether orally or in writing or visible representation which:

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