Union Minister Piyush Goyal has urged sportspersons to exercise caution when endorsing products, cautioning that misleading promotions have the potential to mislead consumers.
In March 2023, the Department of Consumer Affairs issued a comprehensive set of guidelines titled ‘Endorsements Know-hows!’, aimed at celebrities, influencers, and virtual influencers engaging in endorsements across social media platforms.
The objective was to ensure that individuals do not mislead their audiences while endorsing products or services, and that such endorsements remain fully compliant with the Consumer Protection Act, along with all applicable rules and guidelines.
Goyal made the remarks during the World Intellectual Property Day celebrations held in New Delhi on Tuesday, where he also felicitated members of the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team for winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time in over six decades.
Media reports quoted Goyal: “Since we are talking about sports and we are talking about sportspersons, one important thing we should all take care of is that what we endorse should be done carefully.”
“Of late, a lot of misleading and mischievous advertising has been happening, particularly on nutrition and protein supplements or misguiding consumers. And then those stars or those sportspersons have also got into trouble because of misleading advertising or not having proper disclosures or caveats when they market a product or endorse a product or when they are working as social media influencers,” he added.
Furthermore, he went on to say, “I would like all of you to be cautious when you are a social media influencer, or a brand ambassador, or endorsing something. Please always maintain caution so that it doesn’t cause you any difficulty later on.”
