Mumbai: Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has announced that its classroom advertising literacy initiative, AdWise, has crossed the milestone of reaching over one million students across India.
According to the organisation, a total of 10,66,374 students from Grades 3 to 8 across 2,063 schools have participated in the programme so far. The initiative has been implemented across 13 states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Delhi NCR, Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab, Assam, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu.
Developed by ASCI Academy, the AdWise programme was created in response to the growing influence of digital advertising and newer formats such as influencer marketing, where commercial content is increasingly integrated into entertainment and social media experiences.
The programme aims to equip children with the ability to recognise advertising, understand persuasive intent, distinguish promotional content from editorial or entertainment content, and make informed choices as consumers and digital citizens.
ASCI stated that the intervention has demonstrated measurable improvements in advertising literacy levels among students, based on assessment tests conducted before and after the sessions.
Among students in Grades 3 to 5, the percentage of children who could correctly recognise the purpose of advertisements rose from 43% to 94%, while the ability to think critically about advertising claims increased from 39% to 90%. Understanding persuasive intent improved from 32% to 87%, and the ability to identify advertisements disguised as content increased from 36% to 90%.
Similarly, among students in Grades 6 to 8, recognition of the purpose of advertising improved from 45% to 92%, while understanding influencer promotions increased from 39% to 88%. The ability to identify ads mimicking content rose from 31% to 84%, and awareness around online safety improved from 45% to 91%.
The sessions were delivered in eight languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, and Assamese.
Commenting on the initiative, Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General, ASCI, 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. We hope that more such programmes and curriculum integration will take place going forward. We would like to commend our partners, SHARP NGO, in helping us reach more than a million students.”
The AdWise programme uses age-specific learning modules incorporating classroom discussions, activities, and videos tailored to different student groups. In addition to student-focused learning, the initiative also provides educational resources for teachers and parents to encourage continued learning outside the classroom.
Through AdWise, ASCI aims to further strengthen responsible advertising awareness and expand advertising literacy education across schools in India.
