Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023

What’s in Today’s Article

• Why in the News?
• Need for a Digital Advertisement Policy
• Key Features of the Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023
• About Central Bureau of Communication

Why in the News?

• The Union government has approved a new policy allowing its advertising wing, the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), to undertake advertisement campaigns on social media, OTT platforms and other digital media.

Need for a Digital Advertisement Policy

• Digital advertising refers to marketing through online channels, such as websites, streaming content, and more.
  • Digital ads span media formats, including text, image, audio, and video.
• The Government of India’s Digital India program has led to a huge growth in the number of people in the country who are now connected to the internet, social and digital media platforms.
• As per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the internet penetration in India as of March 2023, is over 880 million.
• The Digital Advertisement Policy 2023 has been formulated after a wide raging discussions with multiple stakeholders.
• It outlines the roadmap of enhancing the Digital Outreach of the Government of India and improve information dissemination to the Citizens.

Key Features of the Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023

• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting approved the "Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023 to enable and empower the Central Bureau of Communication to undertake campaigns in the Digital Media Space.
• In response to the evolving media landscape, the policy marks a pivotal moment in CBC's mission to disseminate information and create awareness regarding various schemes, programs, and policies of the Government.
• The policy will enable CBC to empanel agencies and organisations in the OTT and Video on Demand Space.
• CBC will also be able to leverage the growing number of listeners to Podcasts and Digital Audio platforms through empanelment of Digital Audio platforms.
• Apart from rationalising its process of empaneling Internet Websites, CBC now for the first time will be able to channelize its public service campaign messages through Mobile Applications too.
  • With Social Media Platforms becoming one of the popular channels of public conversations, the policy further streamlines the process through which CBC can place advertisements for government clients on these platforms.
• The policy also empowers CBC to empanel Digital Media Agencies to enhance its outreach through the various platforms.
• The policy also recognizes the dynamic nature of the digital landscape and empowers CBC to on board New and Innovative Communication Platforms in the Digital Space with the approval of a duly constituted committee.
• The policy introduces competitive bidding for rate discovery, ensuring transparency and efficiency.
• Further, the rates discovered through this process will remain valid for three years and will be applicable to all eligible agencies.

About Central Bureau of Communication

• Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) is a unit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• The CBC has the mandate of providing 360 degrees communication solutions to Ministries, Departments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and autonomous bodies.
• It was set up in 2017 by the integration of the erstwhile Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP), and Song & Drama Division (S&DD).
• With 23 Regional Offices and 148 Field Offices, CBC is engaged in the process of educating people, both rural and urban, about the Government’s policies and programmes.
• The bureau undertakes various campaigns towards this end by using different vehicles of communication viz., Print Media advertising, Audio Visual Campaigns, dissemination through Exhibitions, Outdoor Campaigns and Digital Media etc.

Q1) What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing, also called online marketing, is the promotion of brands to connect with potential customers using the internet and other forms of digital communication.

Q2) What is an Over-the-top media service?

An over-the-top media service is a media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms—the types of companies that have traditionally acted as controllers or distributors of such content.

Source: Centre approves digital ad policy