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{{Short description|Method of indirect advertising}}
{{Globalize|2=India|date=April 2023}}
'''Surrogate advertising''' is a form of [[advertising]] which is used to promote [[regulated]] products, such as [[cigarettes]] and [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] via advertising another product produced by the same company in order to raise [[brand awareness]]. A product in a fairly close category may be advertised, such as [[club soda]] or [[mineral water]] in the case of alcohol, or products in a completely different category, such as [[Compact Disc|music CDs]] or [[playing cards]]. The intention is that when the [[brand name]] is mentioned, people will associate it with its main product. In [[India]] a large number of companies use surrogate advertising, including [[Bacardi]] Blast music CD's, Bagpiper Club Soda, and Officers Choice playing cards.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lamb|first1=Charles W.|last2=Hair|first2=Joe F.|last3=McDaniel|first3=Carl|title=Essentials of Marketing|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=0538478349|page=76|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QpCvQfnPpNwC&pg=PT76 }}</ref><ref name=admr>{{cite news |first=Tuhina |last=Anand |title=Marketers in India Evade Alcohol Ad Ban by Promoting Surrogate Products|url=http://adage.com/article/global-news/advertising-india-s-marketers-evade-alcohol-ad-ban/140509/ |work=Ad Age |date=12 November 2009 }}</ref>

==History==
The origin of surrogate advertising can be traced to [[United Kingdom|Britain]], where housewives protested against [[liquor]] advertisements which appealed to their husbands. Companies circumvented the ban by instead promoting fruit juices and soda under the same brand names.<ref name="hind">{{cite web |first=Pradeep S. |last=Mehta |type=opinion |website=The Hindu Business Line |title=Surrogate advertising — Needed, a spirited attack|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2003/05/23/stories/2003052300090900.htm|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030607003431/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2003/05/23/stories/2003052300090900.htm |archive-date=7 June 2003 |date=23 May 2003 }}</ref>

==Surrogate advertising in India ==
India has held a strong stance on the ban of advertising tobacco and liquor products since 1995. The ban was enforced after extensive research from the Indian Ministry of Health found that cigarettes and liquor have adverse effects on a person's health. In addition to this, the Indian government holds the notion that these products are especially harmful to a person's mental health, making them lazy and unmotivated. The combination of these factors lead to an eventual ban on advertising of these products throughout its media channels.<ref name="Singh">{{cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Chandrashekhar|title=Evaluation of Surrogate Advertising and Its Legal Neasures With Special Reference to India|journal=Management Insight|date=2015|volume=11|issue=103–107|url=https://www.inflibnet.ac.in/ojs/index.php/MI/article/view/3562}}</ref>

However, the negative outlook on advertising these products can be traced back to 1975, when the Indian government introduced the Cigarette advertising act, forcing tobacco companies to display health warnings on the packaging and advertisements for cigarettes. The Indian government and health ministry continued to push for stronger restriction of the advertising of tobacco and liquor until its eventual complete ban in 1995. However, the increase in population saw the sales of tobacco and liquor increase at an exponential rate. Therefore, companies were forced to seek alternative means of advertising, which lead the eventual creation of surrogate advertising in India.<ref name="Singh" />

Some of the first evidence of surrogate advertising was seen by the Indian tobacco Company ‘''Azad Bidi'', who sponsored an international cricket match in India.<ref name="Singh" /> In India, extensive surveys resulted in similar findings which showed that liquor ads had direct influence on consumers' purchasing behavior. Soon afterwards, the Cable TV Regulation Act banned liquor and cigarette advertisements; thus, India gradually adopted surrogate advertisements.<ref name="hind" />

Such companies usually either go for brand extension and promote the extended products, or promote certain products which might not be available in the market. The excessive pressure of the ban forced companies to focus more on brand building and thus liquor companies started [[Sponsor (commercial)|sponsoring]] and hosting glamorous events, yet many others started distributing t-shirts, caps, key chains, drinking glasses with the brand name displayed on these products.<ref name=naik>{{cite web|title=Surrogate Advertising In India: Permissible Or Not {{!}} Naik Naik & Company|url=https://naiknaik.com/surrogate-advertising-in-india-permissible-or-not/|website=naiknaik.com}}</ref><ref name="admr"/>

Surrogate advertising mandates a requirement for the product being marketed to have a revenue model associated with it.<ref name="naik" />
On 7 October 2022, consumer affairs ministry of India issued notices to 6 alcohol and tobacco brands due to their surrogate advertising. Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has sent notices to ''Premium Black, Sterling Reserve, Seagram's Imperial Blue, [[Vimal Pan Masala]], Rajnigandha Pan Masala'' and ''Kamala Pasand Pan Masala'' and told them to give answers on violating advertising guidelines. CCPA also asked them to discontinue these ads with immediate effect.<ref name=D>{{cite web | url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/videos/business/companies/ccpa-issues-notices-6-alcohol-tobacco-brands-over-surrogate-advertising-14893821.htm | title=CCPA issues notices to 6 alcohol and tobacco brands over surrogate advertising | date=7 October 2022 }}</ref>

Many [[Betting]] websites, mobile apps do surrogate advertising in India. For example, they open similar name websites as apps to advertise their main betting company. Some examples include [[1xBet]] running 1XNews, 1XBat, extensively advertised as sporting blog and sportswear brand respectively. 1xBet signed Indian former cricketer [[Yuvraj Singh]] as their brand ambassador. Fair Play, [[Betway]] also use similar type of tactic, to attract people to their main betting app, website. They are using national TV channels such as [[Star Sports (Indian TV network)|Star Sports]] etc. and YouTube channels, online media for advertising. But due to weak Indian laws these illegal betting apps are running and advertising in India.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Blacklisted betting site makes backdoor entry in India with Asia Cup |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/blacklisted-betting-site-makes-backdoor-entry-in-india-with-asia-cup-1144359.html |url-status=live |website=www.deccanherald.com|date=12 September 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Second alert in 4 months: Penalty for betting ads on TV, OTT, says Govt |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/second-alert-in-4-months-penalty-for-betting-ads-on-tv-ott-says-govt-8188344/ |url-status=live |website=www.indianexpress.com|date=4 October 2022 }}</ref>

==Effectiveness of surrogate advertisements==
According to the inferences drawn from several surveys and interviews, 42 out of 50 people can understand the actual liquor or [[tobacco]] product being advertised.<ref name="adag">{{cite web|title=Has Delhi CM Resorted to Surrogate Ads on TV for Odd-Even Scheme?|url=http://www.adageindia.in/marketing/cmo-strategy/has-delhi-cm-resorted-to-surrogate-ads-on-tv-for-odd-even-scheme/articleshow/50484401.cms|website=www.adageindia.in|language=en}}</ref>

Surrogate advertisements do impact a consumer's buying decision as well. They also inform consumers about the leading liquor brands and thus promote sales.<ref name="naik" />

==Current scenario==
With the Indian government now enforcing ban on surrogate advertisements, companies are turning to event sponsorship, event organising, corporate films and more and more innovative [[integrated marketing communications]] strategies, though surrogate advertising is still a common practice.<ref>{{cite web|title=The art of surrogate advertising {{!}} Best Media Info, News and Analysis on Indian Advertising, Marketing and Media Industry.|url=http://www.bestmediainfo.com/2016/08/the-art-of-surrogate-advertising/|website=www.bestmediainfo.com}}</ref>

Brand extensions, which is the expansion of a company towards products it did not sell previously, are allowed and somewhat common. The main difference between this practice and surrogate advertising is that surrogate advertising does not want to sell the supposed new product and it actually wants to promote a product whose advertising is prohibited.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Alves |first1=Danilo Scramin |title=A Legal Analysis of Surrogate Advertising and ITS Accountability in Brazil in the Consumer Society Paradigm |journal=Revista Jurídica |date=2019 |volume=02 |issue=55 |pages=106–132 |doi=10.21902/revistajur.2316-753X.v2i55.3386|s2cid=219300811 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[:Category:Fraud in India|Fraud in India]] - List of articles related to fraud in India
* [[Fraud]]
* [[: Category: Internet fraud|Internet fraud]]
* [[Misleading advertising|Misleading advertisement]]
* [[False advertising]]
* [[:Category: Commercial crimes|List of Commercial crimes articles]]
* [[:Category: Deception|Deception]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*''{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013004542/http://www.isrj.net/June/2011/Commerce_Surrogate_Advertising.html |date=October 13, 2012 |title=Surrogate Advertising : A Successful Marketing Strategy for Liquor, Whisky products }}''
*''[http://www.icmrindia.org/free%20resources/casestudies/Banning%20Liquor%20Surrogate%20Advertising1.htm Banning Liquor Surrogate Advertising]''

[[Category:Advertising techniques]]

Surrogate advertising - Revision history

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