Influencers having over five lakh (500,000) followers or earning more than Rs 40 lakh per year will now be classified as ‘celebrities’ appearing in ads, ASCI said yesterday.

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a self-regulatory body of the advertising industry, broadened the definition of who is a celebrity and needs to comply with its code.

Celebrities are required to adhere to requirements by doing due diligence before signing up to endorse a brand and also produce evidence of the same when called upon by Asci and not peddle prohibited items.

The review in definition was necessitated because in recent years, the phenomenon of social media influencers has created new centres of mass influence, a statement from ASCI said, according to a PTI report

Historically, it said, celebrities who could lend credibility to brands and influence large masses of people largely comprised popular actors and sports personalities.

ASCI said flouting of guidelines is common, and despite the existence of the norms, it processed over 500 misleading ads featuring celebrities in FY23, the PTI report added.

”We have a range of personalities who are extremely popular on social media and share a close personal connection with consumers. These personalities affect the spending habits of consumers who trust them. So, it’s vital to ensure consumer protection,” Manisha Kapoor, body’s chief executive and secretary general, said.