Commercials
AI makes it easy to show a product doing more than it does: the cleaner floor, the fuller bowl, the glow that appears in three seconds. Most of those shots are allowed in a Philippine ad. They come with conditions, and the ASC Manual spells them out: what a demonstration has to prove, how a before-and-after has to be labelled, and when a shot needs “serving suggestion” or “creative visualization” on screen.
What does the ASC require of a product demonstration?
That it proves what it shows. The ASC Manual says a test or demonstration “shall clearly, fairly, factually, accurately present, or logically prove the claimed product or service property or characteristic and be supported with proper documentation”. Claims about a product “shall not mislead consumers by sweeping generalization, inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, or omission.”
The evidence covers the picture as well as the words. At screening, the applicant submits support for “the claims, copy, audio, special effects, visuals, or any part or content of the material”. A generated shot of a stain disappearing is a claim about the product, the same as the line that describes it.
How do before-and-after shots have to work?
They have to be true, and they have to show the time. Before-and-after comparisons “shall be truthful and factual, and shall not be exaggerated or misleading”, and an ad comparing the two “shall cite with prominence the specific time or period elapsed between the two situations”.
That second rule is the one generated footage breaks most often. A model can produce the after shot in one render. The ad still has to state how long the real result takes, and say it prominently, in a super or in the voiceover.
When do you need “serving suggestion”?
When the product on screen has been dressed up beyond what is in the pack. The Manual says the qualifier “is only required when a presentation of the product is shown with enhancements compared to what the actual product contains as packed”. Its examples are ordinary food styling: vegetables added to instant noodles in a bowl, packaged meat shown with extra trimmings, cassava cake with condensed milk added.
AI makes enhancement effortless, which makes the qualifier easy to forget. If the generated bowl holds more than the pack does, the frame needs the words.
What is “creative visualization”?
The label for showing what the eye cannot see. The Manual says “Creative Visualization is required when showing product action is not obvious to the naked eye”, and gives the example of “molecule or atom action of product ingredients”: the animated particles that lift dirt, the ingredient that sinks into skin. Those shots are allowed, with the label.
Laboratory scenes have their own limit. “Visual representation of laboratory settings may be employed, provided it bears a direct relationship to and accurately reflects the bona fide research conducted for the advertised product or service.” A generated lab can be used. A lab that implies research that never happened cannot.
| Shot | What the Manual asks | On screen |
| Product demonstration | Proves the claimed property, with documentation | Nothing extra, if the proof is on file |
| Before and after | Truthful, not exaggerated, time elapsed cited | The time between the two, prominently |
| Product shown with extras | Allowed with a qualifier | “Serving suggestion” |
| Action the eye can’t see | Allowed with a qualifier | “Creative visualization” |
| Laboratory setting | Must reflect real research for the product | Nothing extra, if the research is real |
Does an AI-made shot need anything else?
A disclosure. The ASC’s AI circular covers advertising “created, generated, or materially enhanced” through AI, “whether in whole or in part”, and our guide to AI disclosure in Philippine ads covers where the label goes.
The rules above apply whether a shot was filmed, built in CGI or generated. What changes with AI is how quickly an enhancement slips in without anyone deciding to make it. Getting the product itself right on screen is a separate check, covered in product accuracy in AI ads.
The shot-by-shot check
Before a generated commercial goes to screening, ask three questions of every shot. Does it show the product doing something? Does it show more than the pack contains? Does it show something the eye can’t see? Each yes needs proof on file or a qualifier on screen.
General information from the ASC Code of Ethics and Standard Manual of Procedures effective 29 April 2024. Check the current Manual and your category’s regulator before production.
Who should catch this before screening?
The studio making the film. PUNX makes AI-powered commercials in Makati: 50-plus people, founded 2023, producing for P&G, San Miguel, Petron, GCash and Sun Life. Whoever you brief, ask how they log which shots are enhanced, which need a qualifier, and which claims need your evidence, before the storyboard goes to the ASC.
FAQ
What does “serving suggestion” mean in an ad?
It is a qualifier the ASC Manual requires when a product is shown with enhancements compared to what the actual product contains as packed, such as vegetables added to instant noodles in a bowl or extra trimmings on packaged meat.
What are the ASC rules for before-and-after ads?
Before-and-after comparisons must be truthful and factual, must not be exaggerated or misleading, and must cite with prominence the specific time or period elapsed between the two situations.
What is creative visualization in advertising?
It is the qualifier the ASC Manual requires when an ad shows product action that is not obvious to the naked eye, such as the molecule or atom action of a product’s ingredients.
Can an AI-generated product demo be used in a Philippine ad?
Yes, if it accurately presents or logically proves the property it claims and is backed by documentation. Enhancements need “serving suggestion”, invisible product action needs “creative visualization”, and AI-made content also needs a disclosure under the ASC’s AI circular.
Related
AI content production — commercials, brand content and social
Product accuracy in AI ads — packshots, logos and labels
Ad claims rules — the proof behind each claim
Product demo in the script?
Send us the storyboard. We will mark every shot that needs proof on file or a qualifier on screen, before it goes to the ASC.
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