Before 2021: self-regulation, loosely
For the first decade of Indian influencer marketing there was no rule specific to creators. General advertising codes applied in theory; in practice, paid posts often looked like personal recommendations. As spend grew, so did the gap between what audiences believed and what they were being shown.
2021: ASCI’s influencer guidelines
The Advertising Standards Council of India published guidelines requiring creators to disclose any material connection with a brand — payment, product, discounts, trips — using clear labels placed upfront and in the language of the content. Disclosure had to be visible without “see more” and to survive the format (stories, video, live). It became the baseline for every campaign brief in the country.
2023: health, wellness and the Consumer Protection framework
The Department of Consumer Affairs added guidelines for health and wellness influencers: anyone presenting as a medical or health expert must hold and disclose relevant qualifications, and endorsements must carry disclaimers that they are not medical advice. ASCI updated its own rules in step. The same year, Parliament passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, setting consent-based rules for handling personal data — including creator and audience data on platforms like ours.
2024–2025: SEBI and the finfluencer line
The securities regulator drew a hard line: only registered advisors may discuss specific securities or make recommendations; everyone else may educate but not advise, with no return projections and no live price data. Registered entities were barred from paying or partnering with unregistered financial influencers for promotion, with compliance deadlines in early 2025. Financial creator content did not disappear — it became educational, or it became licensed.
2026: enforcement and maturity
ASCI now reports and resolves influencer complaints routinely, health and finance cases lead the list, and brands are held jointly responsible for their creators’ compliance. The rules have stopped being news and started being process.
What it asks of you
- Brands: substantiated claims, disclosure in every brief, category-specific review for health and finance, data handled under DPDP.
- Creators: disclose every collaboration, in the post’s language, upfront; no expert claims without the qualification; no financial advice without registration.
- Platforms: build the rules into the workflow. On Oye, disclosure labels, category reviews and consent are part of the brief, not an afterthought — see Compliance & guidelines.