ASCI AdWise initiative boosts advertising literacy among 10.6 lakh students

Advertising Standards Council of India’s AdWise advertising literacy initiative has reached over 10.6 lakh students across India, helping them recognise advertisements, understand influencer marketing, and make informed digital choices through multilingual, age-appropriate classroom sessions focused on media and advertising literacy.

Hyderabad: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) announced that its classroom advertising literacy initiative, AdWise, has covered 10,66,374 students across the country.

The programme was developed by ASCI Academy in the context of digital advertising, which is all pervasive, as well as new formats of advertising where brands are increasingly embedded into content, such as influencer advertising.

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The intent was for students to be well-equipped with the means to navigate this new world of advertising and recognise its commercial nature.

Through interactive classroom sessions, the programme helps students identify advertisements, distinguish content from promotions, understand persuasive messaging techniques and make informed choices as consumers and digital citizens. The sessions were delivered in eight languages: Telugu, English, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati and Assamese.

ASCI CEO and Secretary General Manisha Kapoor said children today are growing up in an ecosystem where advertising and content are deeply intertwined.

“The impact of the programme is evident from the numbers – on all parameters, scores more than doubled after the classroom sessions. This means a far more aware generation of students. Media and Advertising literacy are significant life-skills in a world where children are increasingly exposed to content and brands from a very early age,” Kapoor added.

The AdWise programme uses age-appropriate learning modules, activities, videos and classroom discussions tailored for different student groups. In addition to students, the initiative also provides resource material for teachers and parents to support continued learning beyond the classroom.