New draft policy to check surrogate ads on TV, soon

Meher Khanna - Televisionpoint.com
It Will not be easy for liquor manufacturers to advertise their brands through soda or mineral water products with identical names anymore. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry's draft policy to check surrogate ads has suggested that no brand that is a namesake of a liquor on sale in the market be advertised on TV or radio.

The only relaxation will be in cases where the turnover of surrogate product is substantial. "We'll permit surrogate ads only if the sale from the secondary product is 40- 50 per cent of that of the original product," a senior government source said.

Incidentally, most surrogate brands do not fulfill the criteria laid down by the Ministry. Revenue generation from such products is just 57 per cent of the main liquor brands.

In most cases, the ad-spend on surrogate products hugely outstripped earnings from sales. "The data we have is enough to indicate that these products are nothing but proxies for the fast-moving liquor brands," an official said.

The policy is also likely to impact sports telecasts in a big way as it would also target cricket matches and series sponsored by popular liquor brands. "The just ended India-Zimbabwe series, sponsored by Royal Stag, would have got covered if the new policy was in force," the official remarked.

The Ministry proposes that such matches could be named after a brand but without explaining in any manner the nature of their products. "It will be a repeat of the Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) sponsored 2001 world cup incident where the company was barred from promoting its non-cigarette products on TV," the sources explained.

They said the ban would be extended to both Indian and foreign broadcasters. Those found violating the ban would have to face action in terms of denial of up-linking and down-linking facility.