SURROGATE ADVERTISING

Surrogate Marketing is a requirement of all alcohol/cigarette brands in countries where it is prohibited by law to directly advertise addictive products such as alcoholic beverages and cigarettes in mass media. It is a strategy which refers to the indirect way in which companies advertise their products, and use minor loopholes in the law ,circumvent a ban on direct advertisements of particular products to still achieve the basic marketing objectives of building brands, creating customer associations and promoting brands. They do this by associating the same brand names to other acceptable products, ranging from sodas to music CDs !!These companies come up with several other products that might have the same brand name and indirectly remind people of liqour bottles of the same brand

DEFINITION
Surrogate advertising is advertising which embeds a brand or product message inside an advertisement which is ostensibly for another brand or product. TECHNIQUES USED Advertising another product with the same brand name Sponsoring community events Issuing public service announcements Sponsoring sports teams

Few examples
1. Bagpiper: Although being a famous whiskey brand , in advertisement actually Bagpiper Club Soda is shown at the place of whisky. 2. Royal Stag: Instead of advertising whisky, manufacturer had shown Music CD and Mega Cricket in the advertisement with theme "Make it Large". 3. McDowell's No.l Platinum: Advertised as Soda. MS Dhoni was seen advertising it 4. Hayward's 5000: Advertised with the help of soda and packaged drinking water, but main products are Haywards 5000 & 10000 are whisky, beer brands.

6. Imperial Blue: This whisky is popularized by showing music cd's in the advertising. i.e. Imperial Blue Music CD's.

7. Royal Challenge: Some cricketers are shown in this advertisement, at the same time music is played. At the end of advertisement brand name 'Royal Challenge' is displayed in bold letters with very small 'Music CDs'. It was also advertised with the help of mineral water.
8. Officer's Choice: This brand is advertised by showing mineral water and soda. It portrays that 'OC' is the brand of officers and dynamic people.