Advertising Standards Council of India Concludes Hari Sadu a work of Fiction

New Delhi, Delhi, India , 2006-06-22

The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) in its letter to Naukri.com has stated, “The CCC concludes that the portrayal of a fictitious character in the TVC, in a humorous situation was not likely to give rise to grave or widespread offence”

It also clearly stated, “The complaint is not upheld”.

The Hari Sadu commercial was facing two kinds of complaints:

-- From individuals whose name was Hari
-- From individuals who felt that Hari was a sacred name of God

On March 23rd The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) sent a letter to Naukri.com with reference to complaints received against the Hari Sadu TVC asking the TVC be withdrawn since the manner in which the name Hari was being used was highly objectionable as it was a sacred and pious name.

Naukri.com was asked to supply the ASCI with their responses, before the Consumer Complaints Council were to view the Hari Sadu commercial to determine whether or not the complaints were to be upheld or not.

Naukri in its response to the council responded explaining the following points:

-- Hari Sadu was a creation of fiction
-- Depicting a very real life situation of a boss and subordinate
-- The TVC is far removed from any form of religious implication or situation and revolves around a common day office situation with emphasise on an extremely rude and arrogant boss
-- No religious imagery was used in the TVC and the character is Hari Sadu and not Hari.
-- The only message the TVC denotes is that Naukri.com is an available option for job seekers and job hunters.

The esteemed and high powered Consumers Complaints Council adjudged Hari Sadu as a creation of fiction bearing no resemblance to any living figure or any religious god or deity either.

The Advertising Standards Council of India is a non- profit self regulatory body set up to deal with complaints pertaining to advertisements and consisting of members from among advertisers, advertising agencies, the media and allied professionals. The Consumer Complaints Council of the ASCI deals with complaints received from Consumers and Industry, against Advertisements which are considered as False, Misleading, Indecent, Illegal, leading to Unsafe practices, or Unfair to competition, and consequently in contravention of the ASCI Code for Self-Regulation in Advertising.

About Naukri.com

Naukri.com is the India’s No 1 job site. It provides a common platform for companies, head hunters and job seekers to exchange information quickly and effectively. Established in 1997, naukri.com is India’s largest internet company and the 3rd most popular website across all categories with a database of 6 million registered users. With over 25,000 companies trusting their experience in this industry, it has a very large user base. Being leaders in their space, the company is constantly innovative and never compromises on Quality.

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http://www.businesswireindia.com/attachments/Press_Release(2).doc


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Sonali Shyam, INSIGHT Communications, + 91 (011) 29532948/ + 91 9891820253