What Exactly is Surrogate Advertising
Promotion of selected products through different strategies that are otherwise prohibited by the law to be advertised directly can be termed as Surrogate Advertising or Surrogate marketing.
The term “surrogate” means substitute.
When Companies substitute their “premier” product with another disguised product having similar or entirely different characteristics to advertise & get away with, the Legislations prohibiting their promotion.
This kind of advertising works on the principle of Brand Recall/awareness, where brands, through their advertisements, convey the message of their so-called premier product through the promotion of a surrogate product.
Advertising whereby brands duplicate the brand image of one product to promote another product of the same brand. When consumers look at these advertisements, they relate these with banned products. Hence, such products are indirectly advertised, and therefore, influence their buying decision.
Do the Consumers know the actual ‘Real’ product of advertising?
As per various surveys, Almost 90% of people can recognize surrogate advertising and connect to what product is being sold to them in the form of a disguised ‘surrogate’ product. Consumers of sin goods are mostly as smart as their advertisers.
Consider the 2021 ad of Vimal Elaichi. Almost every consumer had ‘Paan Masala’ floating in their mind, for which Bollywood stars like Shahrukh khan & Ajay Devgan were roped in. In the literal sense, they advertised for cardamom seeds which aren’t something to raise eyebrows for but what the audience anticipated and associated it with is our concern.
Selling mineral water by Royal Challenge or Carbonated Soda by McDowell’s are classic Surrogate Advertising examples that aimsto lead consumers towards their alcoholic drinks.
Types of Surrogate Advertising :
A. Brank Extention
B. Culture stimulation
C. Digital Media Promotion
There are various Indian Law governing surrogate advertising still brands are not shying away from this marketing practice.