TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SURROGATE ADVERTISING IN LIQUOR

SUMMER PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED TOWARDS THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF UNDER GRADUATE DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SURROGATE ADVERTISING IN LIQUOR.

SUBMITTED TO NIDHI GUPTA ASSISTANT PROFESSOR.

SUBMITTED BY AASHI CHAURASHIYA A3923012004 BBA+MBA.

AMITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, NOIDA

AMITY UNIVERSITY – UTTAR PRADESH

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN

This is to certify that I, Ms Aashi Chaurashiya, a student of Under Graduate Degree in BBA+MBA (2012-2016), Amity School of Business, Noida has worke worked d unde underr the the able able guid guidan ance ce and and supe superv rvis isio ion n of Ms. Ms. Nidh Nidhii Gupt Gupta, a, Assistant Professor. This This Summ Summer er Proj Projec ectt repo report rt has has the the requi requisi site te stan standa dard rd for for the the part partia iall fulfillment the Under Graduate Degree in Business Administration. To the  best of our knowledge no part of this report has been reproduced from any other report and the contents are based on original research. I am aware that in case of non-compliance, Amity School of Business is entitled to cancel the report.

Signature Aashi Chaurashiya A3923012004 BBA+MBA (2012-2016)

Signature of Project Coordinator

Signature Ms. Nidhi Gupta.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my sincere gratitude to my faculty guide Ms. Nidhi Gupta For her able guidance, continuous support and cooperation throughout my  project, without which which the present work, would would not have been possible. possible.

Signature Aashi Chaurashiya.

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Topic

Page No

Executive Summary

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Objectives of the study

7

Research Methodology used

8

Literature Review

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Introductions-------------------------------------------------------------Industry Structure and developments------------------------------Opportunities and Threats -------------------------------------------Future Outlook --------------------------------------------------------DEFINING SURROGATE ADVERTISING --------------------LIQUOR ADS ON TV ------------------------------------------------KABHI WHISKY, KABHI RUM-----------------------------------Allowing socially responsible ads by Liquor Company---------Company---------Advertising in the Liquor category on Televisions-------------Televisions---------------Surrogate advertising — Needed, a spirited attack ------------------------Liquor Company’s uses overseas series to Circumvent ad ban--------Kingfisher, Wills spared from surrogate ad ban: ---------------------Surrogate liquor ads flow into FM radio: -------------------------I & B Ministry’s Slashing of Surrogate Ads ----------------------Foul Cry by Major Liquor----------------------------------------------Bacardi origins -----------------------------------------------------------BACARDI’S WAY OF SURROGATE ADVERTISING-------Key Findings Data Analysis

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Conclusion Bibliography

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Advertising has become a big tool for disseminating product Information. It is being done thro throug ugh h diff differ eren entt medi mediaa – bann banner ers, s, radi radio, o, tele televi visi sion on & late lately ly the the inte intern rnet et.. Advertisement in general has also drawn Public ire & government interference time and again again – either either for movin moving g

away away from the the truth truth and the consume consumers rs 'right 'right to

information' or for creating false images. This is especially true in the case of  surrogate advertisements. The issue of surrogate advertisement gained momentum after the government forcefully imposed a ban on it. The aim of this project is to highlight & discuss the same in detail. The surrogate could either resemble the original product or could be a different product altogether, but using the established brand of the actual product. Presen Presentt study study is underta undertaken ken in respec respectt of studyi studying ng the effect effective ivenes nesss of surrog surrogate ate advert advertisi ising ng from from custom customer’ er’ss point point of view. view. It starts starts with with analyz analyzing ing the variou variouss  purposes of adopting surrogate advertising. It helps to analyze the pros and cons of  surr surroga ogate te adve advert rtis isin ing g and its its impa impact ct in the the broa broader der sens sense. e. It also also stud studie iess the the contribution of such type of advertising in branding and creating a good brand image and winning brand loyalty of target customers. Further, it helps in evaluating the importance of Surrogate advertising in different sectors of the economy.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ADOPTED-

Secondary data or second hand data will form the basis of my study in this project. Data collection methodsa)

News Newspap paper ers, s, jour journal nalss and perio periodi dica cals ls..

 b)

Research papers.

c)

Internet.

d)

Magazines.

e)

Refere Reference nce books books based based on mark marketi eting ng and adve adverti rtisin sing. g.

Limitation of the study- Since the study is entirely based on secondary sources hence there are chances of it being outdated or not accurate in all aspects.

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LITERATURE REVIEW Here, I have included the analysis and interpretation of three research papers between 2000 and 2007. In 2000, Henry Saffer of Pune examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol advertising bans. After the govt. banned usage of liquor, consumption in India reduced at a slower rate than they would have occurred if these advertisements  bans were remaining in place as they were initially. Then, in the year 2005, Meng Chang of Research Centre, California USA conducted a research towards the effects of advertisement of liquor towards the young generation. They found out that youth seems to get attracted and it affects their decision to  purchase the product often. And now based on these conclusions, I am taking this study of effectiveness of surrogate advertising in the liquor industry by means of collecting secondary data from various sources like Internet,magazines,reference books on marketing,case studies,newspapers,journals and research papers too.

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RATIONALE OF THE STUDY. Liquor Industry has one of the fastest growing markets in India. The liquor industry does make campaign to entire customer, cu stomer, therefore the assurance of the customer are increasing day by day. In an industry where change is the only constant, survival depends on the quickest reaction time. When technology advances happen at the blink of the eye, one has to keep  pace or else get left behind. To achieve this, the Co’s have to lay emphasis on total customer satisfaction through improvements by their own capabilities and teamwork, for  this the products should be backed by strong R & D, continuous up gradation of  technology, customer oriented marketing and unique background integration process in manufacturing.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY.

My research objective is to find out that “How successful has Surrogate Advertising been in promoting the liquor Brand” Is surrogate advertising actually for launching a new product or is it for manipulation of  the existing liquor brands for sales? We get a 100% recall value for the actual liquor   products even though surrogate versions were being mentioned on T.V.

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INTRODUCTION Liquor Industry has one of the most lately growing marketing values in our country India. The liquor industry industry does market market its product productss by campai campaign gn to the entire entire market market of  customers. Therefore, the assurance of the customer is increasing day by day this is mainly due to the advertising. In an industry where change is the only constant ingredient required for growth, survival and and deve develo lopm pmen entt depe depend ndss on the the fast fastes estt reac reacti tion on time time.. When When the the tech techno nolo logy gy improvements take place at the click of a cursor, one has to keep pace or get left behind. To achieve this, the companies have to lay emphasis on total consumer satisfaction through through contin continuous uous improv improveme ements nts by their their own capabi capabilit lities ies and teamwo teamwork. rk. For this this  products should be made keeping in mind a strong R & D, continuous technological advance advancement ments, s, custom customer er satisf satisfact action ion and unique unique backgr background ound integr integrati ation on proces processs in manufacturing. There is a surrogate approach towards liquor advertising in India. There is not much that they they can do except except market market themse themselve lvess throug through h promot promotion ionss with with the latest latest celebr celebrit ity. y. Hollywood films like the movie named “Scent of a Woman” have helped in brand endorsement to a great extent.

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INDUSTRY STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENTS DEVELOPMENTS The Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) market consists of Whisky, gin, rum and vodka. The whisky market is further segmented into low priced, regular, and deluxe, semi  premium, premium and Scotch. The most competitive segment in the IMFL category is the regular segment whisky. This segment has more than 30 brands competing with each other. The size of the organized IMFL industry stands close to Rs.200 billion and comprises of  approximately 25 IMFL manufactures. The low price IMFL and country liquor segment accounts for approx. Rs.120billion. Now low priced IMFL is a distinct category as opposed to country liquor, with products in the latter category typically sold at lower   prices. The total IMFL market today’s stands at around 70 million cases per annum which is  been growing g rowing at a rate of 10% to 12% over the past 5 years. India is one of the very few liquor markets in the world where the growth rates are positive. Particularly, the cheap liquor segment has shown a growth of more than 25% over the past 5 years. Also, which is estimated to be more than the size of the IMFL market? There also exists a huge unorganized sector (estimated to be as large as the organized sector) involved in the  production and safe of cheap liquor (which is distinctly different from excise duty paid country liquor). This trend is witnessed most in the rural areas of the country. The Indian Liquor industry also faces huge competition with the major small domestic liquor companies.

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REGULATION. The liquor industry is one of the last few industries that are still under the licensing  policies of the Central Government and will likely see the most significant growth g rowth over  the next 2-3 years on account of more progressive regulation. Liquor, in India, is a state subject, not a central one, in that each state controls the excise duty structure and also the distribution of liquor. The event, liquor manufactured in one state is sold in another state, the incidence of import duty and export duty results in high  product prices at the consumer end. It is this non uniformity of the duty structure coupled with different types of distribution arrangements dictated by the state governments that make makess manuf manufac actu turi ring ng and and mark market etin ing g of liquo liquorr a very very chall challeng engin ing g task task for for Indi Indian an companies. Distribution while unregulated in some states such as Maharashtra and West Bengal is regu regula late ted d in some some othe others rs such such as thro through ugh auct auctio ions ns (Har (Haryan yanaa & Raja Rajast stha han, n, Biha Bihar, r, Jharkhand) or through government controlled procurement agencies (such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh). There are around 100,000-110,000 licensed liquor outlets in India, with another 10, 0000 outlets such as bars and restaurants. .

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Market Size (IMFL) o

Market: 95 million cases

o

Past growth 15 % @ per annum

o

Brown spirits spirits - particularly whisky, rum & brandy account for over 75 % of this market

o

South and North share 60% of market

Industry Structure o

Industry in the organized sector - an industrial license is required to start manufacture

Major brands (manufacturers): Signature, Blue Riband (UB Group), Aristocrat (Jagjit Industries), Smirnoff, Gilbeys Green Label, Malibu, Archer’s Peach Schnapps (International Distilleries India), Passport (Seagrams), VAT 69, Black & White, Black Dog (United Distillers India)

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OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS. On Apri Aprill 1, 2001, 2001, Indi India, a, under under comm commit itme ment nt to the the WTO, WTO, remo remove ved d quant quantit itat ativ ivee restrictions (QR) on bottled in origin (BIO) liquor imports and placed them under the OGL (Open General License) category. Further, it is expected that the important duty of  foreign liquor would also be brought down to a committed level of 150%, the WTO  bound rate over the next 2/3 years. This would lead to the entry of large Liquor Multinationals companies in the country. These Multinationals will make strong inroads in the higher priced categories of the market such as super premium and premium end of the whisky market consisting of price levels of Rs.450 and above per bottle of 750 ml. It is believed that these segments are those where the Indian liquor industry will face maximum competition over the next 3 to 4 years. years. Already, Already, domestic domestic brands are losing losing substantial substantial market share top India specific specific  brands of Multi nationals companies. The competition in this segment is bound to intensify still further. With duties coming down over a period of time and imported liquor coming under the  purview of OGL, there have emerged excellent opportunities for their trading in the domestic market products like imported, wines, beer, breezers and coolers etc. should have good opportunities for an aggressive player. Taki Taking ng advan advanta tage ge of this this oppor opportu tuni nity ty,, Radi Radico co has alre alread ady y ente entere red d into into exclu exclusi sive ve marketing distribution arrangements with earnest and Julio Gallo, California, USA, the owners of the largest winery in the world distribution of their wines in India and also with Interbrew, of Germany for the distribution of Beck’s beer in India.

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The company company is also also plann planning ing to intro introduce duce Ready Ready to drink drink produc products ts like like

Bacard Bacardii

 breezers and coolers through a tie up with major foreign players. This segment is likely to see good growth in future as consumers get acquainted with the product gradually.

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FUTURE OUTLOOK. It is believed that the Indian liquor industry is set to grow exponentially over the next 4 to 5 years on the back of a major unshackling of the regulatory structure governing it. In the last 2 years, at the State level, the Delhi Government has thrown open retail distribution to private parties, the Uttar Pradesh government’s new excise policy has substantially increased the contribution per case of country liquor for most distillers in the state, the Tamil Nadu Government’s decision to allow 100 ml packs of IMFL to wean indications towards this direction. At the central government level, there is a proposal to charge a uniform excise duty as opposed to state specific excise duties.

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DEFINING SURROGATE ADVERTISING. Surrogate advertising can be defined as advertisement of a brand extension in such a way that brings clear recalled of the core product in the mind of the consumer. The concept of  surrog surrogate ate adverti advertisin sing g in India India emerge emerged d due to certai certain n regula regulatio tions ns enforc enforced ed on the  promotion of certain products mainly liquor and tobacco (products). Here the companies are producing these products in order to avoid legal complications, and also in order to remain in the minds of the consumers, use reminder adverting by way of resorting to surr surroga ogate te adve advert rtis isin ing. g. Thes Thesee compan companie iess adver adverti tise se thei theirr brand brand exte extens nsio ions ns for for the the  promotion of the core brand. An advertisement of any thing whether it is product, service or event in the name of core core brand brand by which which the actual actual product product is recall recalled ed is surrog surrogate ate advert advertise isement ment.. Cigarette companies have used the vehicle of surrogate advertising to reach the minds of  consumers from time to time giving for example Gold Flake which produces gold Flake expression greeting cards, Red and White which sponsors bravery awards, and wills which advertises wills cigarettes on the sports wear which we have witnessed time and again on the T-shorts worn by the Indian cricket team. Wills lifestyle is also an example of surrogate advertising. Moving ahead the liquor companies have successfully used the name of the core brand with some other products like Royal Challenge. Similarly, Bacardi extends its brand name by producing Bacardi cassettes, Teacher’s advertises in the name of Teacher’s Achievement Awards, McDowell’s in the name of the Soda, Aristocrat, 8 PM, Contessa and AC Black go ahead in the name apple juice, and Gilbeys and Kingfisher in the name of water etc.

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He also talked of an advertisement (surrogate in nature) in which a small line of 6-/8 front size statement reading CDs and Cassettes of the 100pipers pure music series are available in select select outlets outlets wherea whereass no CD, cassette cassette or music music system system is shown. shown. Above all, a Seagrams 100 piper (which is a wine) is written in a manner that it is creating an image of   bottle sticker, i.e. round folded sticker. In INDIA INDIA there there are no specif specific ic laws laws to control control the activi activitie tiess relati relating ng to surrog surrogate ate advertisement. However the government issues certain directives from time to time which are based on various laws and codes like the Code for commercial Advertising on Doordarshan Doordarshan and The cable Television Television networks networks (Regulation (Regulation)) Act, 1995, Press Council of India Act 1978 and the Cinematography Act 1952. However the regulation is not going to affect surrogate advertising because TV channels are free to air ads of kingfishers mineral water and other products like Aristocrat apple  juice though it is clear that these products have been produced by the liquor companies only for surrogate advertising. Secondly, the consumers of liquor and tobacco companies are mostly habitual of their brands and they are not much affected by the advertisement.

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LIQUOR ADVERTISEMENTS ON TVCASE 1: The handsome handsome young young guy is celebrating celebrating his corporat corporatee victory at his office.He pulls out a bottle of Aristocrat from his drawers and savors the brownish looking fluid. Cut to the next scene: in the hazy background which looks like a  poolside party going on, our hero again is shown dancing with a pretty girl. Drinking Aristocrat APPLE juice.

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CASE 2: A few young men out on a trek. They finally reach their destination to celebrate while their adventure gear is prominently displayed beside them. The adventure gear is from Four Square, a brand of cigarettes. CASE 3: A gang of boys and girls is seen dancing in the rain. Obviously they are having a good time, courtesy MINERAL WATER, from the `King of Good Times' aka as Kingfisher 

Some channels have complied while others are likely to follow their footsteps. Figures about how much television advertising spends by the booze go glug-glug courtesy the governments are hard to come by one estimate placed it at a giddying Rs 3000 million, but media planners and buyers believe they won't have to do that. Liquor advertisers will find an out. Already Bacardi has invested in Bacardi blast night parties, which serve as a very effective branding vehicle. Such TV commercials have been flowing like beer on tap on various television chan channe nels ls desp despit itee the the Indi Indian an gove govern rnme ment nt goin going g agai agains nstt the the prac practi tice ce thou though gh informally.

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"With the government rupturing the whip on surrogate advertising on TV, the liquor companies will move to strengthen ground events and discover other such  below-the-line avenues avenues for promotion.

A lot of that was already happening with booze cash backing musical concerts, exhibition exhibitionss and seminars seminars.. Royal Royal Challenge Challenge for example example sponsors sponsors golf events. events.

A clutch of media planners and advertising personalities feels that there is going to  be a rise in the number of liquor and tobacco sponsored events in the upcoming years in the effort to neutralize the ban on ads on TV channels.

Some have even taken the cable TV route working closely with cable operators to insert ads or "crawlers" during movies that are aired on home video channels. Some liquor companies going to cable operators to have their ads aired on the home video channel on which the government's consideration has not been drawn till now is also been banned. The merits were two-fold on advertising on cables: cable operators' charges for ads are just a fraction of what satellite channels charge and in the short-term this can be an alternative to Outdoors Outdoors and direct advertisi advertising. ng. What could could spoil the party however however is the fact that in some places like Delhi the state government has expelled hoardings?

Below-the-line advertising will give rise to hog a bigger share of the media  budget of liquor and tobacco tobacco companies.

Of late, TV channels have seen adequate commercials pegging aerated water, mineral water, bar accessories by liquor companies. Apple juice, Bagpiper soda, Kingfisher water, Aristocrat Premium apple juice, Hayward’s 5000 dart boards are some of the commonly known examples. Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky promotes

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a series series of effective effective stories stories on CNBC India through sound bytes from projecting projecting Indians like Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. Almost every channel has been party to the surrogate commercial brigade, with the sole exclusion being Doordarshan, which  by mandate did not carry carry any such fare. "What are advertis advertisemen ements ts for?" It is a method to communicate communicate to and come in Anywhere where there is a chance to come in contact with the consumer it can be misused, it can be through his mouse pad or the club he frequents. So, the liquor  companies have options and will go in for that sort of marketing too.

Though liquor companies did not seem to be concerned, as the ad expenditure of  liquor

companies

have

not

come

down

with

the

ban

on

TV

ads.

Annual revenues from surrogate advertising for the television industry as a whole is about four per cent of total ad spends - between Rs2000 million and Rs2250 million.

According to one TV channel executive it was niche channels that would be affected more than general entertainment ones. In the first place the categorization Though liquor companies did not seem to be concerned, as the ad expenditure of  liquor companies have not come down with the ban on TV ads. Annual revenues from surrogate advertising for the television industry as a whole is about four per cent of total ad spends - between Rs2000 million and Rs2250 million. of advertisers was limited as the viewer profile was either up market or  focusing younger generations. Movie, sports, news and music channels were the channels that he felt would prove to be most beneficial in the long run.

Lookin Looking g abroad abroad for parall parallels els though, though, India India seems seems to be workin working g in revers reversee direction. In the US for instance, while beer ads have been a regular feature of the TV advertising, while talking about hard liquor, the spirits industry has lived under  a voluntary ban on the placement of ads on TV for the past 50 years. But with

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declining revenues over the past two increasingly health-conscious decades, the industry has begun carefully testing the regulatory climate by placing ads on some local TV or cable stations. There is a heated debate going on in the US over the freedom of this setback, especially after NBC declared towards the end of last year  that that they they woul would d allo allow w liqu liquor or comm commer erci cial alss to run run all all thro throug ugh h late late even evenin ing g  programming,

making

them

the

first

national

network

doing

so.

Coming back to India, as the government tightens the screws and takes the fizz out of the liquor company’s blast, the pretentious ones are re-framing their tactics.

The restriction put by the government can be termed a non-option as it applies to the competition too. Hence, all the constituents affected by the liquor crackdown have to take cognizance of the fact that the tipplers' party is over. If they don't work accordingly, they may end up with a hangover. That's if the government acts on its threat putting its weight behind the liquor ad ban move, it is quite likely that it is dry days for television channels even for surrogate ads.

KABHI WHISKY, KABHI RUM

For exampl example, e, licen license sees es may may put up signs signs to advert advertise ise their their estab establis lishme hments nts or   products. These signs and advertisements may include liquor prices ,hours of sale and the names of liquor manufacturers or the brands. But they could not place advertisements in newspapers, magazines and periodicals, or on television, radio or the Internet, and issue pamphlets and brochures. They should also not:

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Law Law spea speaks ks agai agains nstt liqu liquor or adve advert rtis isem emen ents ts,, howe howeve ver, r, such such rest restri rict ctio ions ns are are circumvented by ads purported to be for products outside the banned category. All liquor liquor licenses licenses include include bars, bars, pubs, pubs, restaurant restaurants, s, licensee licensee retail retail stores, stores, wineries wineries,,  breweries and distilleries - are allowed to advertise their products, but they must act in accordance with Liquor Control and Licensing regulations. 

Motivate people to drink liquor or to drink irresponsibly (ads that mention  price must take this into account; if a licensee's price advertising encourages or results in drinking excess, the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch Branch can preven preventt the licens licensee ee from from includ including ing liquor liquor price pricess in future future advertising)



Show Show peop people le drin drinki king ng liqu liquor or,, or anyo anyone ne who who is eith either er into intoxi xica cate ted d or   behaving irresponsibly irresponsibly or illegally



Associate liquor with driving



Be directed at minors or placed in locations used or visited mostly by minors, such as theaters and playgrounds



Depict liquor as: o

One of life's necessities

o

Key to social acceptance or personal success

o

Central to the enjoyment of an activity, or 

o

A status symbol.

In addition: 

Ads for bars and winery lounges may not use pictures of  minors (in BC, that's anyone under the age of 18)



Ads for restaurants must make clear that serving food is their  main primary purpose.



Ads for companies making beer, wine or spirits may name a liquor store, bar or restaurant where the product is sold, and

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

Ads for companies that make beer, wine or spirits are not to  be shown on a theatre theatre screen before a movie.

A few sips of AC Apple juice in a TV commercial drop the neckline of a nubile woman by several inches (as imagined by the imbiber). Guess what would happen if AC juice ferments to Aristocrat whisky for which the former is surrogate.

So we have Club soda as a stand in for bagpiper whisky, or mineral water for  kingfisher beer. Going hand in hand with the I.T. mode, there are websites for both Seagram whisky and Bacardi rum…

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The latest proposal: allow socially responsible ads by liquor companies

Faced with a 7 to 11 percent loss in revenues after the ban on both direct and indirect liquor advertising, a group of TV broadcasters has submitted a suggestion to the government to permit them to use socially responsible ads backed by liquor  companies.

A committee of broadcasters headed by I&B special secretary Mr. R.R. Shah, which was established by the government recently to find out what constitutes surrogate ads, has mentioned to the government that socially useful advertisements funded by liquor companies should be allowed on TV channels according to a top official in a private TV channel.

Socially useful ads sponsored by liquor companies are a very famous concept in the US and the UK, and are likely to be well accepted in India as well, as a member of the committee committee on surrogate surrogate ads. Since public service service validation validation does not lead to promotion of liquor ads, these cannot be clubbed with direct/indirect or  even surrogate advertising of liquor. The socially useful ads or public service endorsements, which this committee is referring to, may not essentially talk about drunken driving as some liquor companies have been doing so far. Although the govern governmen mentt has not decide decided d whethe whetherr to allow allow liquor liquor compan companie iess to advert advertis isee socially responsible ads on. TV channels there are feelers that the government is warm to the idea. In fact, broadcasters are even open to the idea of the government is warm to the messages can be allowed on TV channels. For instance, if the government feels that only medically helpful or crime prevention messages must  be beamed on channels, channels, broadcasters are ready to abide.

Advertising in the Liquor category on Television registers a negligible dip of 2% in 2003 as compared to 200226

Key Results

Advertising in the Liquor category marks a dip of 2% in 2003 compared to 2002.



Feature Films are the most preferred program genre for Liquor Advertising in 2003.

A look at the trend of TV advertising in the Liquor category in year 2003 compared to 2002-

We can see that Advertising shows a negligible dip of 2% in year 2003 as compared compared to the year 2002. The above above graph shows shows the indexed indexed spends spends of the Liquor category on Television Advertising since the year 2002.

Advertising in the Liquor category is expected to be quite periodic in nature.

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The graph shows that Liquor advertising spends on Television varies every year  across 2000-2003 i.e. is very dynamic.

Where do we see ads for Liquor? The graph show that almost 29% of the total advisement on Liquor is on Feature Films. The other program genres, which are favored by Liquor category, are as follows- Drama/Soap, News Bulletin, Cricket, Music Shows/songs, and Comedies and many more.

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(Analysis from AdEx India-A Division of TAM Media Research)

Surrogate advertising — Needed, a spirited attack   In India, the trend of surrogate advertisement advertisement gathered pace with the Cable TV   Network Regulation Act, which bans tobacco and liquor advertisements advertisements on TV  channe channels. ls. The liquor liquor indust industry ry has very very though thoughtfu tfully lly blurre blurred d the the line line betwee between n  products, advertising `old wine' in a `new bottle,' only this time with a soft-drink  label.

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"MEIN, AAP AAP AUR AUR Bagpiper". This This Bagpiper Bagpiper club soda advertisement, advertisement, featuring cine cine cele celebr brit itie ies, s, is simi simila larr to the the earl earlie ierr one one for for Bagp Bagpip iper er whis whisky ky.. The The advertisement comes with the same music and punch line as the one for the  popular liquor brand telecast before the ban on liquor advertisements. advertisements. This  phenomenon, known as "surrogate "surrogate advertising" advertising" has become common common place. Surr Surrog ogat atee adve advert rtis isem emen ents ts took took off off not not long long ago ago in the the UK, UK, wher wheree Brit Britis ish h housewives protested strongly against liquor advertisements "luring" away their  husb husban ands ds.. The The liqu liquor or indu indust stry ry foun found d a way way arou around nd the the ban: ban: Surr Surrog ogat atee advertisements for cocktail mixers, fruit juices and soda water using the brand names of the popular liquors.

A market survey in 2005 revealed that advertising has a longing influence on the eating habits of 481 million people in India and an indirect impact on 300 million `aspirants' from the lower strata of the society. Considering this and realizing that nearly 50 per cent of the television owners have access to cable channels, there is no doub doubtt tha that the hidde idden n call all for alco alcoho holl int intake ake behi behind nd the the surro urroga gate te advertisements is not escaping the eyes of viewers in the world's fourth highest liquor liquor-co -cons nsumi uming ng countr country. y. Surrog Surrogate ate advert advertisi ising ng defeat defeatss the very very purpos purposee of   banning liquor advertisements advertisements by the Govt. Govt. . Acco Accord rdin ing g to the the Inte Intern rnat atio iona nall Wine Wine and and Spir Spirit it Boar Board, d, a liqu liquor or indu indust stry ry  publication, there will be a jump in the number of people reaching the legal drinking age of 25 within the next few years.

Sociological studies have shown that, in India, a significant share of income of a large section of the population is spent on liquor, potentially leading to financial distress and health hazards.. The implication is that the problem is going to grow.

The motivations of firms look even more suspect when they advertise products that cannot be bought. In 2002, for example, Jagjit Industries, the maker of 

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Aristrocrat Whisky, advertised a product called `Aristrocrat Apple Juice.' The company reportedly confirmed availability of the fruit juice in places like Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, yet, no reputed shop in Delhi had ever seen it, let alone sells it..

Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has started to take on the surrogate liquor advertisements. The IBF decided that Jagjit Industries and other liquor-manufacturing units must get production of  the advertisement approved both at the `storyboard stage' and after the production of the commercial.

It also ruled that that if liquor companies promote any juice, mineral water or soda, thes thesee shou should ld be show shown n in a prop proper er mann manner er and and not not as trim trimmi ming ngss to liqu liquor  or  advertisement.

These are welcome steps, but the key point lies in enforcement. If, in a free society, producers have a legitimate right to let consumers know about their   products through advertisements, advertisements, consumers have the right to information in adverts that are clear and honest.

Surrogate advertisements are not only misleading, but also false and dishonest in many cases. With surrogate advertising so widespread, this is the moment to tackle the problem head-on.

There should be stringent regulatory measures to curb the practice, such as: 

Making Making transpar transparent ent laws banning banning surrogate surrogate advertise advertisement mentss for different different  products under a single brand names, by amending the Trade Marks Act, for instance;

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

Providing teeth to the Advertising Standards Council of India to enable it take action against false and misleading advertisements, and keep a close vigil over clever evasion of the law;



Asking the electronic and print media to adhere to the advertisement codes and not to encourage surrogate advertisements; advertisements;

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Cons Consum umer er awar awaren enes esss prog progra ramm mmee coul could d be crea creatted to help help peop people le understand the negative impact of surrogate advertisements;

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Adopti Adopting ng strict strict laws laws to penal penalize ize those those compan companie iess featur featuring ing surro surrogat gatee advertisements without any real existence of the product; and

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Requir Requiring ing advert advertisi ising ng agenci agencies es to have have full full knowl knowledg edgee of the the produc products ts under the same brand for which they are promoting advertisements, and taki taking ng lega legall acti action onss agai agains nstt thos thosee agen agenci cies es whic which h desi design gn surr surrog ogat atee advertisements.

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This is not cricket ! -  Liquor Company’s uses overseas series to circumvent ad  ban:

WITH the Government trying to clamp down on surrogate advertising, liquor  companies seem keen to bat out the ban. Even as liquor brands have traditionally  been associated with up market sporting activities like golf, polo, derby and yachting, companies are now turning towards the game of the masses - cricket. After the triangular series at Zimbabwe in 2003 (of which Royal Stag was the associate sponsor), the India and Zimbabwe Test series will be called the Royal Stag Cup.

Till date Royal Stag has used several international cricketers as brand endorsers. This This is the first first time time the compan company y has foraye forayed d into into tourna tournamen mentt spons sponsors orship hip.. Similarly, the ICC World XI Vs Australia series to be held Down Under will be called the Johnnie Walker Super Series.

As both the series were being held outside India it would be difficult for the Government to blip out the liquor brands. Since the matches will be beamed into Indian drawing rooms live, the brands will enjoy good visibility.

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Internationally beer brands such as Fosters and Lion have supported cricket in Austra Australia lia and Sri Sri Lanka Lanka respec respectiv tively ely.. Meanw Meanwhil hile, e, Royal Royal Stag Stag has roped roped in Zimb Zimbab abwe wean an Vice Vice-C -Cap apta tain in,, Heat Heath h Stre Streak ak as thei theirr new new Roya Royall Stag Stag bran brand d ambassado ambassador. r. Other Other celebrity celebrity Royal Stag cricket cricket endorsers endorsers include include Australia Australian n Cricket captain Ricky Ponting, and India's ace off spinner Harbhajan Singh.

The Inform Informati ation on and Broadc Broadcas astin ting g (I&B) (I&B) Minis Ministry try's 's effort effortss to ban surrog surrogate ate advertising of liquor brands has reached a naught. A few months ago, it had sent out notices to various television channels to withdraw advertisements by liquor  companies.

But within a few weeks of the notices being issued, surrogate advertising made a comeback on television. In fact, a few liquor companies have been advertising during the ongoing cricket series as well between ENGLAND AND INDIA. Howe Howeve verr chan channe nels ls were were cate catego gori rica call lly y told told that that ther theree is a comp comple lete te ban ban on advertising by liquor companies.

The Government is also handicapped by procedure wherein it can take action against channels only after receipt of complaints. "The Government cannot  suo motu issue show-cause notices. It has to first receive complaints," said official sources.

Liquor companies on their part state that their advertising is self-regulated and comply with the Indian Broadcasting Foundation and the Advertising Standards Council of India code.

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Kingfisher, Wills spared from surrogate ad ban: In a significant policy shift, the government has in principle decided to permit non-liquor and non-tobacco advertisements of Kingfisher and Wills brands on TV channels. This is despite the fact that the Cable TV Act prohibits advertising of  liquor and tobacco. According to I & B ministry sources, the government will, however, consider  granting similar exemptions on a case-by-case basis to such “genuine” businesses. The Cable TV Act is also likely to be amended on these lines later. A comm commit itte tee, e, comp compri risi sing ng repr repres esen enta tati tive vess from from home home,, heal health th,, law, law, wome women n empowerment and information & broadcasting ministries, is still examining the objection raised by the UB Group (Kingfisher water, soda and airline) and ITC (Wills Lifestyle) over the ban. A government however gave both Kingfisher Kingfisher and Wills Wills a green signal signal soon. The UB group and ITC have been successful successful in convincing convincing the government government that they have “genuine” non-liquor, non-tobacco businesses, though with the same brand names. According to industry estimates, liquor advertising (surrogate) is worth Rs 250 crore to 300 crore in India. Even as there are several liquor brands indulging in

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surrogate advertising on TV, only Kingfisher is likely to be spared for now. ITC, a major tobacco brand, too would be allowed to beam its Wills Lifestyle ads. For  other liquor companies, decisions will be taken on a case-to-case basis, till the  policy is fine tuned, the the source said. Before tobacco advertising was banned, ITC alone had an ad budget, on both television and print, of Rs 100 crore, as per Lintas Media estimates for 2003. Of  this, Rs 76 crore was only for print. As for Kingfisher, its airline ad budget alone is around Rs 10 crore. In a recent interview, UB chairman Vijay Mallya had in an interview that I&B minister S Jaipal Reddy had assured him the ministry couldn’t take a view that Kingfisher ads are surrogate. “Certainly not with an airline. We already have a very significant mineral water business Mr. Mallya had said. The govern governmen mentt clampd clampdown own on surrog surrogate ate liquor liquor and and tobacc tobacco o ads had begun begun duri during ng the the Nati Nation onal al Demo Democr crat atic ic Alli Allian ance ce (NDA (NDA)) regi regime me.. In fact fact,, form former  er  inform informati ation on & broadc broadcast asting ing Minis Minister ter Sushm Sushmaa Swara Swarajj was was in the proces processs of  formulating a norm on brand extension and surrogate advertising based on the volume of non-liquor or non-tobacco business. The reasoning, at that point, was that if there’s a standalone genuine business owned by a liquor/tobacco company, the brand could be advertised. Howev However, er, last last month, month, the UPA govern governmen mentt issued issued notic notices es to liquor liquor/to /tobac bacco co comp compan anie iess and and tele televi visi sion on chan channe nels ls,, stat statin ing g that that ther there’ e’ss a blan blanke kett ban ban on advertising liquor.

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Surrogate liquor ads flow into FM radio: Even as the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry is clamping down on surrogate liquor ads appearing on various television channels, these ads seem to have crept into the various private FM radio channels. Recently Guinness UDV's Gilbey's Green Label and UB Group's Romanov have  been advertising on some some private FM channels channels in Mumbai Mumbai and Delhi. But just as liquor ads are not permitted to advertise on TV, they cannot be heard on radio. Officials in the Ministry said FM channels would also have to follow the Broadcasting Code framed for the All India Radio (AIR) and the Doordarshan. Despit Despitee this, this, FM compa companie niess seem seem to be accept accepting ing surrog surrogate ate liquor liquor ads. ads. The officials at radio networks refused to comment on the issue calling it "a touchy one". They merely said that the same guidelines applicable to surrogate advertising on television is applicable to radio. Also, advertising by liquor companies on radio has been miniscule compared to television. B Ministry&I have been looking at the issue of surrogate liquor advertisements and have been sending out notices to various television channels. "It has been a cat

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and mouse game. Once notices are issued the ads go out, but reappear after a while," said the Ministry official. And with the revival of radio through FM, the debate over surrogate advertising on TV is being carried over to radio as well.

I & B Ministry’s Slashing of Surrogate Ads IBF Flays surrogate liquor ads

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has come down heavily on surrogate liquor ads. While asking channels to withdraw commercials of close to a dozen  products, it has also also sought changes in in several other ads. ads. The ones that have been seen as inappropriate are ads for 8 P.M. Apple Juice where two generals are seen exchanging drinks, Bagpiper Hero, Bacardi Breezers, Johnnie Walker, McDowell’s Signature and Whitehall Party, among others. In some other ads such as the one for Mc Dowell’s Mera No. 1, it has said that the term spirit should be removed. The words ‘Rare Spirit’ should be removed from the the Roya Royall Chan Channe nell Golf Golf Acce Access ssor orie iess whil whilee it has has sugg sugges este ted d a bran brand d new new commercial for Aristocrat Premium Apple Juice. Recent at a meeting of the IBF sub committee on surrogate advertising, the apex  body comprising all the major broadcasters has categorically said that members of  the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC). Seagram,

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Jagjit Jagjit Indust Industrie riess and all other other alcoh alcohol ol compan companies ies must must get produc productt of their  their  commercials approved both at the storyboard stage and after production of the commercial. It also said that liquor companies must provide authentic data in the form of a letter from the Chairman or Member of the Board or the auditors giving details of the surrogate products’ manufacturing facilities, launch date, distribution networks and details of the product category registration. The sub committee said that if the commercial promotes an apple juice, mineral water or soda, it should be presented in a suitable manner and not shown as an accessory to alcohol drinking. The recent clampdown on surrogate ads will affect the television channels as the industry spends over Rs. 300 crore on advertising. According to medial planners, huge amounts of money are spent on regional chan channe nels ls such such as Alph Alphaa Punj Punjab abi, i, Mara Marath thii and and Bang Bangla la or ETC ETC Punj Punjab abi, i, the the expenditure is not very high. The rates for spots on these channels are very low, said a Delhi based media planner. Meanwh Meanwhile ile,, the liquor liquor compan companie iess contin continue ue to claim claim that that these these ads were were for  genuine products that are available in the market. The companies had, in fact, some months back, placed samples and other proofs before the Government to defend their case. The government, meanwhile, said that the channels would have to adhere to the Advertisement Code, which is part of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 as they can take action against channels violating the code by asking cable operators to black out the channel. According to the IBF’s code, if a liquor company does not have an adequate number of the product that it was trying to project on television available in the market through sufficient distribution outlets, TV channels do not accept the ads of that company. The case of Hayward’s was cited as an example and how the ads were taken off  the air by TV channels when it was found out the market did not have an adequate number of dart boards the company was advertising on TV, the IBF source said.

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Apart from the government, the IBF was in the process of finalizing its own advertising and programming code, which was an attempt towards voluntary selfregulation, “he added. Still, government sources indicate that the I & B ministry list of objectionable televi televisio sion n commer commercia cials ls includ includes es ACP Apple Apple Juice Juice Kuch Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Sakta Hai Hai campai campaign, gn, Royal Royal Stag Stag (that (that incid incident entall ally y featur features es two cricke cricketer ters) s),, Aristo Aristocra crat, t, Smirnoff, Bagpiper, McDowell’s Gilbey’s Green Label, Whitehall, Imperial Blue, Macintosh Apple Juice, Royal Challenge and Smirnoff.

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Surrogate liquor ads that have gone off air Advertisements for Hayward’s 5000, ACP Black apple juice and Radico Khaitan’s 8 pm apple juice was pulled out from all major TV channels immediately, after the Indian Broadcasters Foundation (IBF) has objected in an act of self discipline regarding surrogate advertising. The broadcasters, henceforth, will seek details of products, which they believe  promote non – existent products added an IBF official. They met I & B Ministry officials to convince them of their efforts at self-regulation. Whi While a deci decission ion has been een tak taken to affe ffect this his ban ban imme immedi diaatel tely, the implementation is likely to take at least a couple of days since most of the advertisements are inserted in advance. After the I & B Ministry banned liquor ads in 2000, most liquor manufacturers devised ingenious ways of remaining visible even while observing the legalities. Mostly, the hard liquor ads were replaced with more socially acceptable options such as apple juice, even if such products did not exist within their portfolio. Regarding the ACP black apple juiced ad where a woman sheds her clothes as the drink is consumed, the IBF official said, “While it might be a genuine ad, the IBF committee has decided to remove it in its present format.”

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Foul Cry by Major Liquor  Even as the Government gets cracking on surrogate advertising by liquor firm, Jagjit Industries, whose ad for AC Black apple juice has been pulled off air from TV channels, alleges that the competition is obfuscating the entire issue to suit their commercial interests. Jagjit’s spokesperson said the competition through the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic beverage Companies (CIABC) has been canvassing against this ad with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the TV channels. “There is need for regulation of this sector, but I am against arbitrary regulation. If  the ACP Black ad is surrogate sexist below the line advertising, so are many others. At least, this product actually exists,” says Jagjit director Deepankar Barat. CIABC chairman Vijay Rekhi, on the other hand says we are only ensuring that the industry behaves responsible in collaboration with the media and the ministry. He reckons that the TV channels that are signatories to the voluntary CIABC marketing code need to enforce it their end. Many a times though ad may be genuine its content violates all norms of  decency, and hence the ad should be pulled out. Worldwide, the liquor industry is regulated by a code of conduct, which includes the hours when such ads can be aired, the content and a compulsory statutory warn warnin ing. g. In Indi India, a, the the Gove Govern rnme ment nt has has been been tryi trying ng to brin bring g in a sens sensee of  regulation.

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Bacardi origins (A)

The The most most famo famous us of ligh lightt and and Puer Puerto to Rica Rican n rums rums is Baca Bacard rdi. i. Baca Bacard rdii was was originally made in Cuba, and notably the first light rum. They also opened plants in Mexi Mexico co and and Puer Puerto to Rico Rico in the the 1930 1930’s ’s.. The The Puer Puerto to Rica Rican n plan plantt allo allowe wed d importation to the US without the import duty imposed. When Castro took over  Cuba and nationalized the rum industry, Bacardi stopped production there and Puerto Rico became their main distillery. Though Bacardi is most famous for its light rum, they also produce other variations. Ron Rico and Don Q are Puerto Rican rum also. France imports a lot of Rum from the French West Indies. Once imported to France, they are often aged. Martinique is the largest producer. Many of these rums are produced with the addition of dunder. Dunder is the residue left from the  previous batch and can be compared to the making of sour mash in the States. Hait Haitii also also prod produc uces es fine fine sipp sippin ing g Rums Rums.. Cach Cachuc ucha ha is made made in Braz Brazil il from from sugarcane and often heavily sweetened, as it is naturally dry, this is the main ingredient in Caiparnha. A clock cousin, Caha is made in Pragnay, and other South American countries. In Mexico rum is more popular than tequila. Here it fees by the name of aguardiente.

Flavored runs are gaining in popularity; Capitan more a spiced rum and Malilum coconut flavor are two examples.

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BACARDI’S MARKET SHARE SCENARIO AND CURRENT MARKET STRATEGY –  Bacardi picks up local consumer insights to infuse new spirit into stagnating sales. Chilling out on a beach in the middle of the day has a universal appeal. Or does it not, it appears, In India. Which is why Bacardi is on the verge of releasing a brand new campaign for the Indian market, which replaces the earlier trademark global TV commercial? Sure, the fun, colours and passion are all there because the target group of tipplers  between the ages of 25 and 45 years hasn’t hasn’t changed. Only, in place of sun, sun, sea and sand in the afternoon, the setting is an evening bash after a tiring day’s work. That marks a radical for the Cuban rum maker. This is the first time any where in its worldwide markets that Bacardi Martini has had to leave its global communication to local taste. What made Bacardi Martini take such a significant step? The answer lays in the way the market for white spirits, and white rum in  particular, has evolved over the last few years. Today, the white spirits market accounts for less than 5 percent of total liquor sales in India and is dominated by gin. White rum and vodka make up less than 2 per cent of the total liquor sales. International Distillers and Vintners (IDV), which launched its Smirnoff Vodka eight years ago, was joined by Bacardi in 1998 when the latter introduced white rum, Carta Blanca. The two were expected to expand the market for white spirits

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through their marketing blitz. Even today, the segment is a drop in the Indian liquor ocean. To be sure, Bacardi had a great start. In the first year, Carta Blanca sold 20,000, the the next next year year (199 (19999-20 2000 00), ), it achi achiev eved ed the the targ target etss of 40,0 40,000 00 case casess and and the the following year sales surged to peak at a little less than 1,00,000 cases. What worried the company was that after that, sales leveled off. In fiscal 2002, Bacardi failed to reach last year’s sales. Cons Consid ider erin ing g many many glob global al bran brands ds have have thou though ghtt twic twicee abou aboutt brin bringi ging ng thei their  r  international campaign into the. So Bacardi began with its world wide Indian market, how is it that Bacardi chose this option? Part of the explanation lays in the fact that Bacardi faced a major challenge in defining consumers in the first place. Although rum as a category, primarily dark rum, accounted for 13 to 14 per cent of the total market in 1998, consumer loyalty was extremely high and hard to  break. So the task before before Bacardi was a formidable one. Price was another barrier since Bacardi came at a premium of over 250 per cent to local rums and whiskies. Research at the time showed that, at best, Bacardi could  possible pick up rum drinkers on the fringes, who were open to trying out other  types of rum. But this number was too small and uncertain. Bacardi could hope to draw in these consumers long as it preserved the strong, macho properties of dark rum. Most

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rum drinkers chose the product to make a statement about them and stand out in the crowd. “The change we are making in India, while subtle, recognizes the need to balance the playfulness of Bacardi with more of a work ethic if we are to connect even more with the Indian Indian consumer” consumer” Jeff Macdonald Macdonald Marketing Marketing director, director, Bacardi Martini India Limited. Research also should that up market consumers were more conc concer erne ned d with with how how a drin drink k enha enhanc nced ed thei theirr imag imagee rath rather er than than with with tast tastee  positioning of freedom and passion to get consumer to associate the drink with youthfulness. The communication was followed up with elaborate below the line activities. Such as promos (free glasses with a bottle of Bacardi). To increase trials, Bacardi launched a miniature 60 ml bottle at Rs. 35 and then a 375 ml print bottle for Rs. 180. The idea was to rope in consumers who found the drink expensive. The last few years saw Bacardi (in common with other liquor companies) hit by the blanket ban on advertising in the electronic media. In the absence of direct  product advertising, the company was left with no option but to rely on below the line activities, such as a dance parties and promotions. The standard of surrogated advertising was taking time since the parent company wasn’t used to this form of  advertising. Late last year Bacardi kicked off a study to find out what would push sales. The answer lay in making its surrogate communication more relevant for the Indian

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target target audien audience. ce. While While Bacard Bacardii target targeted ed a wider wider consum consumer er segmen segment, t, young young executives dominated its consumption. The company discovered these people are serious about their careers, which have higher higher priori priority ty than than having having fun. fun. Fun follow followss after after work, work, while while its its previo previous us communication was all about fun. Based on the findings, the company roped in filmmaker Prasoon Pandey to create a new film under the aegis of its advertising agency McCann – Erickson. The new advertising is crafted on simple though of transformation that is how the Bacardi spirit charges up a lazy evening after a hard days work. Bacardi’s new advertising may have taken a cue from what most other liquor   brand are doing McDowell’s McDowell’s No. 1 Aristocrat and Gilbey’s Green have all tried to associate themselves with professional success at the work place. Bacardi is confined that its new initiatives will help bring about a change in consumer habits, although it admits the process may take time. Its assumptions are  based on its observation in the US and UK which has been showing a clear move from from whis whisky ky to whit whitee spir spirit itss amon among g youn young g up mark market et peop people le driv driven en by a combination of strong image based marketing initiatives and the fact that white spirit has a wider potential as cocktail base. In the US, more than 50 per cent of the market is already white spirits; India tends to follow global trends, “says Macdonald. So we are very confident we can grow this segment and take a leading position. 47

The company is introducing a new pack design that will highlight the brand’s heritage esta establ blis ishe hed d in 1862 1862 in Cuba Cuba and and prod product uct qual qualit ity y the the world world’s ’s smoot smoothe hest st rum. rum. The The company plans to be more aggressive with its Bacardi Blast music event which attracted over 150, 000 consumers across nine metros, in the year 2004. “Thi “Thiss year year BACA BACARD RDII obje object ctiv ivee is to make make it even even bigg bigger er and and even even hotte hotter, r, with with innovative innovative venues the hottest international international DJs and hot, new Bacardi Bacardi cocktail” cocktail” said Mr. Macdonald. Bacardi Blast compact discs (CDs) will be another thrust area for brand building. The company is all set to launch the ninth CD in the series, having already sold over 300,000 copies with four releases reaching number one in the charts. “We plan to have Bacardi  Nightshift events in

even more big way,” says Macdonald. And a new on trade

 promotion concept that will become the hottest post work party in town. Most of these initiatives are in line with Bacardi Martini’s objective to garner quick  volume in the Indian market. Last year, the company acquired a 51 per cent stakes in erstwhile erstwhile white and Mackay (now Whytehall India) and spreading its presence in IMFL whiskies as well. Apart from this, the company is distributing William Grant’s Scotch whisky brands and Bacardi Bacardi Martini’s Martini’s affiliate affiliate John Dewar & Sons Dewars Scotch Whisky in India. India. But its experience with white liquor will test whether it’s truly understood the spirit of the Indian Market.

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BACARDI’S WAY OF SURROGATE ADVERTISING The General Manager, marketing BACARDI put it: “any alternative brand has to fit the original proposition. Both our product and the parties and music we are promoting allow consumers to release the super – me. Music can get us in the party mood, just like a peg or two, but apple juice is just apple  juice, despite Aristocrat’s assurances to the contrary contrary on the small screen. That could be the distinction between alternative brand advertising and surrogate ads that the committee will be searching for. The committee, we are told, will look into whether the brands advertised are legitimate  products it may also look into the amount of revenue invested into promotion of a brand Vis a Vis the percentage of revenue it brings into a company. Bacardi Bacardi kicked off the “Blast “Blast concept concept around around six years ago which which dates dates surrog surrogate ate advertising with music events in the metros in conjunction with Channel V. The ad jingle that made Bacardi a household name was switched from sipping on Bacardi Rum to swinging to Bacardi Blast. But any one old enough to drink will also surely recalled the old words as soon as the tune comes on the telly. That is the brand recall and value advertisers will sorely miss, if  the clampdown is through.

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Key Findings –

 The present research has been been conducted in a bid to comprehensive comprehensive and comparative study of the advertising strategy used in liquor industry which makes the need of surrogate advertising exemplary, as the only way of advertising for liquor industry and also to know the effectiveness of surrogate advertising in influencing customer perception towards the products offered by the company. Liquor Industry has one of the most lately growing marketing values in our country India. The liquor industry does market its products by campaign to the entire market of customers. Therefore, the assurance of the customer is increasing day by day this is mainly due to the advertising.

 The real objective of these these ads is to make up for the losses occurring occurring to the companies because of ban on direct ads of parent products these ads are peculiar and the author has identified the following features of  these ads: (I) (I) Use Use of of the the same same bran brand d nam name, e, tag tag lin line e and and logo logo as as of of the the pare parent nt product (this being the most distinctive feature), (II) (II) Use of them themes es like like sex, sex, adve adventu nture, re, party, party, fun, fun, passi passion, on, braver bravery, y, masculinity, etc. which go more with the parent product of the company like liquor, tobacco and cigarettes and; (III) (III) Use of a surr surroga ogate te produ product ct whic which h can be be relat related ed (lik (like e soda) soda) or unrelated (like cassettes, clothing, golf accessories) to the parent product.

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(IV) (IV) It also also studi studies es the contri contribut bution ion of of such type type of of advert advertisi ising ng in branding and creating a good brand image and winning brand loyalty of target customers.

•

•

•

•

•

Surrogate advertising should not be allowed. Tobacco and liquor banners make use of this phenomenon extensively and try to lure the public. The whole point of banning the product was not the banner but the harm it causes to public and viewers. Hence placing it under the same banner for a different product makes no sense.  The banners should concentrate more on the consequences of  the products products (like tobacco tobacco etc.) Rather Rather than promoting promoting them for a different product. Most Most of the the su surr rrog ogate ate adve advert rtis isem emen ents ts are are even even su supp ppor orte ted d beca becaus use e of the the reve revenu nue e it brin brings gs to the the diff differ eren entt leve levels ls of  hierarchy in the country. Even though surrogate advertisements should be banned, there many other sources and mediums using which the public is lured. Most of the television serials are an example of this. It is generally recognized that surrogate advertising is even more influencing than normal advertising, but the liquor industry has no choice. Of course, this strategy assumes that the brand and, in some some cases, cases, the advert advertise iseme ments nts,, are alread already y well well known. known. Otherwise, such advertising may not serve any purpose.

. This fact is also substantiated by the findings of the present research as most commonly commonly approached approached liquor consumers consumers in this research research find that surrogate advertisements are not only misleading, but also false and dishonest in many cases. Instead of an outright ban of surrogate advertising, liquor companies need to underline the need for dialogue and subsequent guidelines outlining dos and don’ts of advertising. It

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coul could d sp spec ecif ify y timi timing ngs s when when the the ads ads sh shou ould ld be aire aired, d, not not targ target et children, disallow teenagers in ads, not allow ads that are glamorous or suggest suggest incre increased ased attrac attractiv tivene eness ss to the opposi opposite te sex after after alcoho alcoholl consumption.

. There There should should be string stringent ent regul regulato atory ry measur measures es to curb curb the practice, through following measures-

• Making Making transp transpare arent nt laws banning banning surrog surrogate ate advert advertise iseme ments nts for for diff differ eren entt prod produc ucts ts unde underr a sing single le bran brand d name names, s, by amending the Trade Marks Act, for instance;

• Provi Providin ding g teeth teeth to the Adver Advertis tising ing Standar Standards ds Council Council of India India (ASCI) to enable it take action against false and misleading advertisements, and keep a close vigil over clever evasion of  the law;

• Aski sking the the elec electr tron oniic and and pri print medi edia to adhe adherre to the the adv advert ertisem iseme ent codes odes and and not not encou ncourrage ages su surrroga rogatte advertisements;

• Creati eating ng cons consum umer er awar awaren ene ess prog progrrams ams to hel help peop people le unders understan tand d the negati negative ve impact impact of surro surrogate gate advertisements.

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• Adop Adopti ting ng stri strict ct laws laws to pena penali lize ze thos those e comp compani anies es feat featur urin ing g surrogate advertisements without any real existence of the product; and

• Requi Requirin ring g adverti advertisin sing g agencies agencies to have have full knowle knowledge dge of the products under the same brand for which they are promoting adve advert rtis isem emen ents ts,, and taki taking ng lega legall acti action ons s agai agains nstt thos those e agencies which design surrogate advertisements. advertisements.

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DATA ANALYSIS-

WHILE ANALYSING THE AGE GROUP OF PEOPLE CONSUMING TOBACCO IN ANY FORM THE RESULTS WERE AS UNDER-

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TRENDS OF CONSUMPTION OF LIQUOR IN INDIA-

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CONCLUSION.

My rese resear arch ch obje object ctiv ive e was was to find find out out that that “h “how ow su succ cces essf sful ul has has surrogate adverting been in promoting the liquor brand” 60% of the general public have agreed according to the alone mentioned data that surrog surrogate ate advert advertisi ising ng has been been succes successfu sfull in promot promoting ing the liquor liquor brands. We get a cent percent recall value for the original liquor products even though surrogate versions were being mentioned on the television.  Therefore, I would like to conclude by saying that surrogate advertising advertising stimulates of liquor brand is more or less a negative aspect used for marketing.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY  Links www.bacardi.com,, Jan 2008 www.bacardi.com www.yahoo.com www.expressindia.com www.hindustantimes.com,, June 2010 www.hindustantimes.com

Books ‘Confessions of an advertising man’ by David Ogilvy.  Truth, lies and advertising by Jon Steel. Steel. Marketing Management by Philip Kotler.

Magazines referred India Today. Business Today.

Newspapers  The Economic Times.

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