The Indian Society of Advertisers has been the peak national body for advertisers for 70 years and represents the interests of organisations involved in Indian advertising, marketing and media industry. ISA's aim is to promote and safeguard the rights of its members to communicate freely with their customers, and to protect consumers by ensuring advertising and marketing communications are conducted responsibly.
The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) was founded and registered as a company 70 years ago (1952) by a like minded group of large advertisers of those times. The original member companies and their representatives were:
R. Ray, Publicity Manager
Gangadhar Makheria, Secretary & Chief Accountant
P.H. Brown, Director
R. A. Haryott, Director
P. Mohanlal, Director
Lt. Col. J.D. Kothawala, Director
F.S. Mulla, Public Relations Officer
M.R. Bavier, Esq., General Manager
While registered as a company under section 25 of the Companies Act, it is a non-profit organization and is exempt from paying Income Tax under Section 11 of the 1.T. Rules 10 (23).
Over the years nearly all major advertisers have become members of the ISA and its current membership of around 160 is spread throughout the length and breadth of the Country,
Its membership includes almost all the large and prestigious advertisers like Asian Paints, Britannia, Mondelez, Castrol, Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Dabur, Godfrey Phillips, Godrej, Procter & Gamble, Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Mahindra & Mahindra, Marico, HCL, Reliance, UB Group, Nestle, Pepsico, Raymond, RB, GlaxoSmithKline, Tata Consumer Products, TCS, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Titan and WIPRO, to name just a few. Among large Public Sector Enterprises who are members are companies like Bharat Petroleum, HCPL Indian Oil and LIC.
Collectively, the membership of The ISA accounts for approximately more then two thirds of the annual advertising expenditures made in India.