AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF SURROGATE ADVERTISING

Abstract

Advertisements create a strong influence in our life because they create awareness about the market and provide updated information regarding various products. Our choices whether to purchase something or not, is often influenced by the promotional activities of their companies. Considering the widespread adverse impact that advertisements of unhealthy products liquor and tobacco can cause, the Government of India has tried, through various legal means, orders and directives, to put an end or at least reduce unrestricted advertisements of such products. However, over the years, advertising has evolved in nature. It is not non-personal anymore. For any kind of advertising we get encountered with as a consumer, there is a direct link and connection with the brand. This has not gone unnoticed by the companies producing unhealthy products. In order to circumvent the various legal issues with directly advertising liquor and tobacco products, they have started advertising their brand name along with products and services that are not harmful. In other words, they have taken to something called “surrogate advertising”. Indian consumers have seen surrogate advertisements like Bagpiper club soda, Kingfisher airlines, Royal Seagram CDs and audio cassettes ensuring their brand value did not diminish. ITC used a different approach of making Wills the main sponsor of the Indian cricket team. At present it uses its apparel store Wills lifestyle to communicate its most widely known cigarette brand. We even have an IPL team "Royal Challengers Bangalore" indirectly referring to the flagship liquor product of the owner company. However, human beings have become specific regarding what they need. So even though surrogate advertisements try to make us recall the original harmful products in our minds, and may even be successful at that, the companies need to evaluate whether this is sufficient in influencing the public into buying those goods, whose direct advertisements are banned. This study aims to find out to what extent are surrogate advertisements successful in what they were created for; influencing the general public into buying products like liquor and tobacco. For this study, a questionnaire has been designed and various tools used to analyze the data from the gathered responses. Conclusions and suggestions have been generated based on the results of such analyses.