NEWS
INDIA WILL BAN ALL FORMS OF SURROGATE ADS FOR LIQUORS
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
13-8-2024
Source: Unsplash
India, which already prohibits direct advertising of liquor, is poised to introduce stringent rules banning surrogate ads.
The new rules, expected to be in place within a month, will also prohibit event sponsorships and brand extensions resembling alcohol brands.
These changes, aimed at curbing misleading promotions, can also bring significant fines and bans to endorsing celebrities.
Penalties for advertisers include fines of up to INR5 million (USD60,000) and endorsing celebrities can face bans lasting one to three years.
Surrogate ads are often used in India to skirt the alcohol advertising ban. These ads are often endorsed by Bollywood stars to attract more attention.
Instead of promoting the alcoholic products directly, surrogate ads promote non-alcoholic items like water or glassware that mimic the branding of the main alcoholic products.
Carlsberg's Tuborg drinking water ad featuring Bollywood stars at a rooftop dance party is an example of surrogate ads.
“You can't take a circuitous way to promote products,” India’s top civil servant for consumer affairs, Nidhi Khare, told Reuters news agency.
Nita Kapoor, outgoing CEO of the International Spirits and Wines Association of India, representing Diageo and Pernod, said the group support compliant brand extensions and is in talks with the government.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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