A STUDY ON SURROGATE ADVERTISING

Abstract

Surrogate advertising is basically duplicating the brand image of a particular product and then promoting a different product of the same brand. Ban on advertising of alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco products gave rise to the concept of surrogate advertising in India. It has become an ethical issue and has emerged as a loophole challenge over government rules. Though this upcoming trend is not healthy for the young consumers & others in the interest of the health of the community; Surrogate ads have proved themselves a strapping& successful marketing strategy for the forbidden goods today. Surrogate Advertising has been a powerful medium through which a particular brand reaches to its consumers. Although the original products have not been advertised on the television, still these brands enjoy a higher sales volume each and every year. The trend followed by such ads could prove to be boon for big and established players as they result in higher brand recall value, thereby helping them to push their banned products further. Thus, surrogate advertising has played a vibrant role for these brands to sustain in the market even after banning the advertisements of their original products. With government now enforcing ban on surrogate advertisements, companies are turning to event sponsorship, event organizing, corporate films and more and more innovative integrated marketing communications strategies.