Surrogate Advertising: Exposing Double Standards Under The Garb Of Glitz And Glamour

Recently, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar publicly apologised for his involvement in the 'Vimal Elaichi' advertisement. Along with big wigs such as Ajay Devgn and Shahrukh Khan, it became the talk of the town for several reasons. The major one was the flak it received for promoting tobacco consumption and making it an integral part of the Indian lifestyle.

For time immemorial, advertisements for items like tobacco, alcohol, etc., have utilised the Cinema star power to promote the products. While they explicitly do not showcase it, they use disguising methods to send their message across. This process has become popular as 'Surrogate Advertising', which has done more harm than good.

What Is Surrogate Advertising?

Surrogate Advertising is defined as a form of the same that promotes products like alcohol and cigarettes in another product's disguise. To do so, it replaces the actual product with something in the same category. For example, alcoholic beverages are replaced with Club soda, packaged mineral water or music CDs, but they have the name intact.

According to Wikipedia, the concept of Surrogate Advertising is traced back to Great Britain. Homemakers in the country protested against the advertisements of alcoholic beverages that provoked their husbands into perpetuating violent acts in their homes. The agitation gained momentum, resulting in a blanket ban on the same. This harmed the brands, who had to think of other ways to promote the products. It was the reason surrogate advertising was born.

The Process In India

Earlier, India had strict legislation that banned the advertising of these products. Excessive drinking and smoking have detrimental effects on physical and mental health. To safeguard it, the government decided to ban on the promotion of these products.

However, as years went by, the Indian population increased. In turn, this gave rise to the usage of liquor and cigarettes. For the brands involved, this was an excellent opportunity to capitalise on, but they could not do so due to the ban. Therefore, the companies had to develop alternatives to promote their products. Thus, surrogate advertising was introduced in India. One of the first instances of the same was that of 'Azad Bidi', which sponsored a cricket match in the country.

Several popular brands are incorporating the same techniques. An integral part of this involves hiring high-profile celebrities to endorse their brands. Another strategy includes coming up with catchy taglines that ensure the 'authenticity' of the disguised product to suit their purpose.

Controversial Practice

The Indian society is impressionable. Right from sportspeople to film stars, they have a fantastic following. In many parts of the country, they are worshipped religiously, with each film's release day celebrated as a festival. Therefore, it is no surprise that a brand's visibility is turned several notches up with a celebrity's involvement in the same.

The recently-released Vimal ad has raised concerns over the controversial practice. Several health experts and NGOs criticised the actors for indulging in the same. Even after Kumar issued an apology, the backlash did not stop. In many ways, surrogate advertising is not ethical, and it represents the double standards in the garb of all the glitz and glamour.

Eventually, the clamour will die down. However, more needs to be done to look into the methodology many brands continue to use to promote their products. As their business continues to thrive, the legal crackdown on the same may not have any bearing as their crafty minds may come up with other ways to get their message across.

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