Surrogate Advertising Essay Example

Surrogate Advertising Essay Surrogate Advertising-Enforced Innovation: An inside-out overview of Indian Liquor and Tobacco industry Presented by: SUBHABRATA BANERJEE MBA – DAY INDIAN INSTITUE OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND BUSINESS MANAGEMNT ROLL NO: 107/MBA/080004 REGN NO: 19779 of 2001-2002 Acknowledgement I deem it a privilege and pleasure in submitting the dissertation paper â€Å"Surrogate Advertising-Enforced Innovation : An inside-out overview of Indian Liquor and Tobacco industry† which is in partial fulfillment of the requirements of MBA program of Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and profound thanks to Dr. S. N Roy (Head of the Department, MBA (Day), Dr. Tanima Roy (Faculty, MBA (Day)) and Dr. Archana Sharma (Faculty,MBA(Day)) for their guidance, co-operation and valuable feedback extended to me to complete the dissertation paper. I also would extend my gratitude towards Mr Shubhadeep Nag(Brand partner, rediffusion D Y R), Mr Kaustuv Bhadra (Vice-president and Branch-head, Mudra communications,kolkata) and Mr Sudarshan Banerjee (Vice-president and branch-head, Genesis Advertising, Mumbai) for their valuable suggestions which enriched this study. Besides this, I would also like to place on record my thanks towards the number of people that I met during the course of research study. Due to constraints of space, it would not be possible to name all of them. Date SUBHABRATA BANERJEE ABSTRACT We live in a complex world where we respond in extreme ways to what we view as extreme pressures. The ethical debate rages around surrogate mothers. Yet it is difficult to deny they perform a great service for those who use them. We will write a custom essay sample on Surrogate Advertising specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Surrogate Advertising specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Surrogate Advertising specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Closer home, surrogate advertising has been around ever since someone decided that certain things were probably not good in the interests of the community at large. It is really difficult to express an opinion, leave alone pass judgment on matters that are personal. There is also the question of personal rights and many of them are happily enshrined in Constitutions of progressive nations the world over. Who is anyone to decide whether I can sip my daily quota of what started off as eau de vie, or the water of life and then rapidly transformed itself into its present day avatar, Scotch? People have spent years perfecting a heavenly blend of spirits, and imparted to it the smoky flavour that could come only from the peat of Scotland and the pristine Highland water. Several others have made methode champenoise into a fine art and have succeeded in bottling the very soul of France in green bottles that, when uncorked, seem to scream celebration. Who has the right to decide if I can deeply inhale the rich aroma and full-bodied flavour of carefully rolled Virginia tobacco? Every time I nonchalantly put one of those sticks to my lips I feel I have mounted a wild mustang and I am riding down the lonely mountain trails of Colorado. Forget the hype. Forget the imagery we have all grown up with. The Government has the right, invested in it by you, to decide whether you will get transported to the chalky fields of Champagne or the misty heights of Scotland, or for that matter the Wild West. And the Government in its wisdom has decided that advertising for tobacco and liquor is a big no-no. So does that mean you lose the right to tipple or smoke? Certainly not. The wisdom of the Government extends only to banning the advertising of tobacco or liquor. Not to the manufacture or marketing of these supposedly deadly substances. It is legal to manufacture liquor and cigarettes or bidis. It is legal to sell cigarettes at every roadside stall, even to unsuspecting children. It is illegal to advertise it. And that is precisely why you have to live with surrogate advertising. The literal meaning of ‘Surrogate advertising is copying the brand image of one product to promote another product of the same brand. It can be defined as the strategy used by manufacturers and advertisers to promote a product surreptitiously, the advertisement of which is banned by the law of the land. In this study, I have tried to found out the impact of Surrogate Advertising not only on the brand-recall but also on the consumer psychological traits which affect our daily lives. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The basic objective of this study is not only to understand the loopholes of the acts or measure the effect of surrogate advertising on brand recall, but to gain an inside-out overview of how effective surrogate advertisings are in Indian scenario as far as tobacco and liquor industry in concerned. METHODOLOGY The understanding of the subject took not only secondary research or help of books, white papers and journals, but also for the better understanding, primary research had been conducted to get the first-hand understanding of the consumers. Questionnaires were made as qualitative as possible so that every respondent enjoys the space of expressing his or her own opinion. Those opinions were then mapped on a Brand-performance matrix, being precise, a brand-scorecard which allowed the comparison between the original brand and the surrogate brand. To conclude, expert opinion is also taken from nearly 10 senior people in advertising and media, as they have seen the makeover and had been a part of it Surrogate Advertising: Enforced Innovation Recent series of hoardings led me to delve into a very unique trend specific to Indian advertising – Surrogate advertising†¦ a trend which is fast catching up and has suddenly attracted a lot of innovative and creative brains around the country. Reason? On one hand, the government cannot allow public advertising of liquor companies. But ironically, liquor and cigarette sales are the biggest revenue generators in terms of taxes and duties on these items. That’s why an overt acceptance of the marketing in these sectors is not legally acceptable. This has led to one of the biggest ironies of the country – Sales of these items are not banned, yet advertising on the same has strictly been prohibited! Talking about the market size and the different segments would not be pertinent to the discussion (for the records, it is more than 100 million cases in India! ). But what is the significance of this trend vis-a-vis the entry points for new players and sustainability of existing ones? Multinationals which would like to explore the Indian markets find the double-faced attitude of the government as an impediment to their ventures. Since no policy has been formalized in this regard, foreign companies continue to be sceptical about their entry. Domestically, it has led to innovative ways and methods of spending on different media for Advertising from the companies, where companies do more of a brand building exercise than direct advertising. Be it promotions for brand building, or sponsoring events that can be mapped with the â€Å"showbiz† and â€Å"glamour† of the brand, advertisers don’t leave many avenues to enhance their visibility. The rule says, â€Å"Advertisements which lead to sale, consumption and promotion of liquor should not be allowed. † So, in Surrogate Marketing, a product which is different from the main product is advertised, and has the same brand name as the main product. The product is called as â€Å"surrogate† and advertising through this channel is called â€Å"Surrogate Advertising†! It may include CDs, water, clothing, Apple juice, fashion accessories, sports goods or even events sponsoring! These gimmicks, in turn, help the consumers build a strong equity of the parent brand, and with the enhanced visibility, the equity of the brand would definitely become higher! Liquor companies were forced to look at innovative ways of building their brands. With an objective of enhancing brand recall, companies either engage into â€Å"surrogate advertising† or displaying â€Å"socially responsible messages†. Again, out of the two viable options for Advertising, Surrogate Advertising has been surrounded by controversies and legalities for a long time. There is no clear policy from the government for obvious reasons and companies do not want to risk their investments on Ads, which might not be screened after a while. So, a safer choice available where companies can exercise their grey cells is advertising â€Å"socially responsible† messages. Origin of Surrogate Advertising As a reaction to the directive of Government, the liquor tobacco majors sought other ways of endorsing their products. They have found an alternative path of advertising through which they can keep on reminding their liquor brands to their customers. They have introduced various other products with the same brand name. Launching new products with common brand name is known as brand extension, which can be carried out for related products (e. g. : Tata Salt and Tata Tea) or unrelated products (e. g. : Tata Tea and Tata Indica). Prima facie, there is nothing wrong with brand extension. The problem occurs when brand extension is carried out in response to the ban on advertisement of one product category. In this case, the companies launch other products with the same brand name for the purpose of reminding their old customers. Heavy advertising is done so that the customers do not forget their liquor tobacco brands, for which advertisements are banned. The advertisements for such new products are placed under the category of Surrogate Advertisements. Their only objective is to compensate the losses arising out of the ban on advertisements of one particular product (i. e. liquor). According to dictionary surrogate means substitute. Many of us have come across this word in connection with surrogate motherhood. This time it has come in a new avatar Surrogate Advertisement. This is a loophole challenging the Governments action. However, the companies can claim that the order is being implemented and advertisements of liquor are banned, but the objective of the Government behind imposing the ban is not fulfilled. Its a new weapon of Proxy War. Literally surrogate advertisement means duplicating the brand image of one product extensively to promote another product of the same brand. The ban: Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, (CTNRA), Rule 7(2)(viii)(A) of the Advertising Code states that no advertisement shall be permitted which promotes, directly or indirectly, the production, sale or consumption of cigarette, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor or other intoxicants. SURROGATE ADVERTISEMENTS PROMOTED BY LIQUOR AND TOBACCO INDUSTRY The liquor industry is a prominent player in this game. Few surrogate advertisements shown in print, electronic and outdoor media are Bagpiper soda and cassettes CDs, Hayward’s soda, Derby special soda, Gilbey green aqua, Royal Challenge golf accessories and mineral water, Kingfisher mineral water, White Mischief holidays, Smirnoff cassettes CDs, Imperial Blue cassettes CDs, Teachers achievement awards etc. These products bear exactly the same brand name and logo, which we had seen earlier in liquor advertisements. It was little surprising to know that liquor giants like McDowells and Seagrams have entered into new segments like cassettes CDs, mineral water, sports accessories etc. Later it was found that the basic aim of these surrogate advertisements was to promote their liquor brands like beer, wine, vodka etc. This brand extension is an act of bypassing the advertisement ban. A similar trend is followed by companies making Cigarettes, Paan Masala and Gutkha. Few examples of surrogate advertisements in this category are Red White bravery awards, Wills lifestyle, Four Square white water rafting, Manikchand awards etc. Though a ban has been imposed on advertisements endorsing tobacco products, this industry has resorted to surrogate advertising a few years ago. The Health Ministry has recently implemented the tobacco control legislation which will imply a complete ban on advertisements and all direct indirect promotional campaigns for tobacco products. In 2001, Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) had voluntary withdrawn the Wills Sports sponsorship of the Indian cricket team when the Government had first proposed a ban on advertising through legislation. THE CORPORATE STANDPOINT The industry segment has its own standpoint in defence. The liquor lobby claims that everything is in accordance to the Government regulations. If a brand has equity, why shouldnt it be allowed to advertise? Also, brand extension is an industry practice adopted by different product categories, comments Alok Gupta of UB group. When we advertise our products, we follow all the guidelines, declares president, sales marketing, Radico Khaitan. They clarify that they have stopped showing liquor advertisements and they are free to use the brand name for any other products. Even the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverages Companies (CIABC) advertising code maintains that advertisement of products (real brand extensions) by the liquor industry must be allowed. From a laymans point of view, their claims seem to be justified. But this is a clear example of taking advantage of the loopholes. There is a point to ponder. When they have stopped showing liquor advertisements, why the same brand name and logo is used to promote products like cassettes CDs or mineral water? They could have assigned different brand names. It seems they have a hidden agenda of highlighting the liquor or tobacco brand. A similar tussle over the issue of surrogate advertisements in politics was raised in April 2004 on the eve of Lok Sabha elections. Complaints of slanderous and offensive advertisements were raised by two major political parties BJP and Congress against each other. The issue became so serious that the Supreme Court had to interfere in this affair. Finally on 13 April 2004, the Court gave a verdict to curb smear advertisements on electronic media. By appointing Election Commission as referee, the court has tried to put an end to surrogate advertising in politics. According to the Cable Act under the ministry of information and broadcasting,- no broadcaster is permitted to show an advertisement which promotes directly or indirectly, sale or consumption of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor or other intoxicants†¦ Now a new clause has been added under the act stating that any advertisement for a product that uses a brand name which is also used for cigarette, tobacco product, wine, alcohol, liquor or any other intoxicant will not be permitted. Finally, in April 2005, the ministry resorted to a ban on surrogate advertisements of liquor and tobacco products on television. After this directive, the surrogate advertisements are seldom shown on television. Now the companies will have to reframe their policies. But who will take care of print and outdoor media is not certain. According to ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India), surrogate advertisements are harmful. Now it will be up to the ASCI to take up the matter with the respective companies. . [pic] Tobacco Advertising and Promotional Activities: The Global Scenario Tobacco advertising boosts consumption. A report prepared with the co-operation of the tobacco industry concludes advertising was found to have a statistically significant impact on industry sales. The tobacco industry commented that a recent rise in tobacco consumption in Greece was basically due to advertising. In 1988, Philip Morris paid US$350,000 so that their brand of cigarettes would be shown in a new James Bond movie Licensed to Kill. In 1979, Philip Morris paid US$42,500 to have its Marlboro cigarette appear in the movie Superman II while in 1983, another cigarette manufacturer, Liggett, paid US$30,000 to have its cigarettes appear in the movie, Super girl. These are movies with major child and adolescent audiences. Children smoke the most heavily advertised brands of cigarettes. Tobacco sponsorship of sport acts as cigarette advertising to children. The children who watch the sporting events on television readily recognize those cigarette brands which sponsored the event. Within six years of the tobacco companies introduction of feminine cigarettes and accompanying advertisement, the number of girls smoking increased by 110 per cent. The tobacco industry constitutes of the largest advertisers in the world. In 1996, Philip Morris, the worlds largest multinational cigarette company, spent $ 3. billion advertising its tobacco and food products, while the British American Tobacco spent $459 million on advertising its cigarettes alone. Tobacco Advertising in India Tobacco advertising contributes Rs. 300-400 crore to the Rs. 8000 crore-strong Indian advertising industry. With an increase in the number of tobacco advertisements, manufacturers of Gutkha and other tobacco products have raised their advertising budgets . The following table indicates the astronomical figures cigarette companies spent annually on advertising their brands against the proven health and social problems that they raise: Cigarette Brand Advertising Expenditure In India | |Gold Flake |Rs. 50 crore | |555 |Rs. 10 crore | |BH |Rs. 10 crore | | Other ITC brands |Rs. 40 crore | Forms of Tobacco Advertising in Indias Direct Advertising Newspapers and Magazines There is no net figure available on the expenditure incurred by cigarette and Gutkha companies on advertising. Of late, cigarette companies have started sponsoring the sports page of different newspapers. This trend was started in the wake of the proposed ban on tobacco sponsorship of sports events. Except for magazines on health-related issues, few newspapers or magazines have any policy prohibiting advertisement of tobacco products. There have been reports of Gutkha advertisements on the cover pages of school notebooks from Nagpur District in Maharashtra. Outdoor Advertising International and domestic cigarette brands compete with each other in billboard advertising while oral tobacco brands resort to transport vehicles. Point of sale advertising flourishes adjacent to schools and colleges as also in restaurants and kiosks. Promotional Activities Sponsorship of Sports and Cultural Events The Nineties witnessed tobacco companies fighting for sponsorship rights of various sports and cultural events. Subsequently, the Indian cricket team came to be sponsored by Wills, the flagship brand of ITC until its withdrawal in March 2001. For every test match that India played, Wills (ITC) doled out Rs. 33 lakh; for every one-day match, it paid Rs. 32 lakh. The major tennis tournaments, Gold flake open, in the country were sponsored by Gold Flake whereas boat racing was sponsored by Four Square cigarette. On the cultural front, Manikchand, manufacturers of Gutkha, patronizes the Film fare Awards in the country. Ironically, the national bravery award recognizing heroes for courage, adventure and spontaneous physical action is sponsored by Red and White cigarettes, Red White Bravery Awards, capitalizing on the positive image and the good will the event fetches. In several parts of India, major state festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri have come to be celebrated with great fanfare at the behest of Gutkha companies. Surrogate Advertising on Television Gutkha companies like Simla, Goa 1000 and Pan Parag skirt the ban on tobacco advertising in Television channels by resorting to surrogate advertising in the name of pan masala bearing the same brand name. Cigarette companies resort to tobacco sponsored cultural events like the Red White Bravery Awards Contests The Wills Made for Each Other campaign of the Eighties with lucrative offers, including a holiday abroad, had courted much controversy over glamorizing and minimizing the dangers of smoking filter cigarettes. In December 1999, Four Square of Godfrey Philips India, an affiliate of Philip Morris Inc. ran the Gold in Gold Contest offering gold gift options, on the stipulation that entrants in the contest, besides being tobacco users, were to collect 4 inserts from Four Square Gold Cigarette packs. There was the Charminar Challenge as well. Product Placement in Movies Several leading filmmakers and popular film stars have indirectly promoted cigarette brands by consciously placing cigarette packs or brand names/ logos in movie scenes as was observed in movies like God Mother, Tere Mere Sapne, Chasme Baddur and Katha. Free Sampling Earlier, this tactic of initiating the young into tobacco was restricted to handing out free samples of cigarettes. Recent press reports from Nagpur indicate that Gutka sachets are given out for free near schools and colleges. Strategically, youth in outfits bearing tobacco brand names and logos are engaged in these promotional campaigns. In Mumbai, several discotheques and restaurants witness regular Benson Hedges promotional activities, including giving free samples. Brand Stretching and Diversification Perceiving an imminent ban on tobacco advertising, several tobacco companies are promoting other consumer products, which bear the same brand name or logo as their popular tobacco products. These logos or brand names can easily be spotted on clothing, sports apparel, hats, trays, posters and stickers affixed to sports vehicles and backpacks. The ITC, holding investments in the hotel and tourism sector has also set up 125 lifestyle stores selling apparels in the country in the immediate future. The plan includes spreading out to greeting cards business and experimental kitchens. Manikchand, the domestic Gutkha major, has diversified to tea, windmills and construction industry. Corporate Philanthropy and Public Relations The earthquake that ravaged parts of Gujarat was fully exploited by Gutkha manufacturers; they distributed food packets with Gutkha sachets to build up their social image. All the major Gutkha firms are actively engaged in supporting local youth clubs in organizing their annual sports events and religious festivities. The Indian Tobacco Company claims that they invest in education, immunization and family planning programmes in communities near to their factories. State-patronized Tobacco Promotion Though lamentable, the State responsible for the health and well being of its citizens, also often acts as a vehicle for tobacco promotion. The obvious examples were the BEST buses plying in Maharashtra and the railway stations and bus stops across the country displaying huge tobacco hoardings. Doordarshan, the national television channel, transmitted advertisements of Cavenders Cigarette brand disguised as adventure gear. Sports and cultural events on the channel were often sponsored by tobacco companies. Trends in Tobacco Advertising Following the announcement of the Tobacco Products Bill proposing a ban on tobacco advertising, there has been an upsurge in surrogate advertising and sponsorship of entertainment events. Marketing figures indicated that the market spending on tobacco products declined by 2 % over the year, while the spending on tobacco brands grew by 28 %. That was illustrative of the increasing reliance of tobacco companies on sponsorships, restaurant and hotel programmes, public relations and direct marketing programmes those days. Impact of Tobacco Advertising and Promotional Activities In a study conducted in Goa among students immediately after watching tobacco-sponsored cricket matches, 15-20 per cent students surveyed felt that smoking and chewing tobacco improves memory. Some students even felt that if you smoke, you will become a better cricketer. A 1992 review of 19 studies of cigarette advertising by the British Department of Health revealed that advertising does have a positive impact on consumption. A 1995 study indicates that advertising is more likely to influence teenagers to smoke than even peer pressure, while a 1996 study published in the Journal of Marketing found that teenagers are three times as sensitive as adults to cigarette advertising. The escalating annual advertising budgets of tobacco companies are enough proof of the impact this component of marketing has on increasing consumption rates. Existing Advertising Regulations in India The Cigarettes Act, 1975, merely stipulates the statutory warning on cigarette packets. The Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Act, 2000-prohibits direct and indirect tobacco advertising on Cable Channels. Advertising Standards Council of India Voluntary Code, 1998-envisages prohibition of advertising targeting underage consumers; suggests that using tobacco products is safe, healthy or popular; enhancing courage; or featuring the young. Being a voluntary code, it has little enforcement value. The Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertising and Regulation of Trade, Commerce and Supply) Bill, 2001, announced by the Cabinet, pending nactment in Parliament provides for banning direct and indirect tobacco advertising in media, prohibition of tobacco sponsorship of sports and cultural events, banning smoking in public places, banning sale of tobacco products to persons below 18 years of age and repeats the existing labelling provision. The States of Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal had agreed to adopt the Bill. Goa has an Act prohibiting smoking in public places, but it is poorly enforced. The same fate has been suffered by the Maharashtra Government Resolution banning sale of Gutkha within 100 meters of schools, hospitals and government offices. Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have a ban in place on smoking in public places. FCTC and Tobacco Advertising Advertising being a translational issue in the information age, beyond the regulatory scope of individual countries, the efficacy of stringent provisions thereof in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is undisputable. Efforts should therefore be geared at motivating geographical regions en masse to opt for tight provisions in the Convention. Individual nations could also be prevailed upon to tighten their national laws to match with International standards to be set out in FCTC. Interventions Effective lobbying strategies to enable the enactment of the Tobacco Products Bill, 2001: Activating State level advocacy to overcome the jurisdictional restrictions on policies regulating oral tobacco products and Bidi. Building a vigilant civil society to provide effective monitoring and prompt reporting of violations under the existing laws. Addressing trans-national advertising through strong provisions in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and Mobilizing Support from Entertainment-Celebrity endorsements of Anti- Tobacco policies. Industry speaks With the blanket ban on tobacco advertising through all media come into effect from May 1, 2004. The advertising industry was set to lose nearly Rs 250 crore (Rs 2,500 million). Tobacco companies too were then banking on aggressive customer contact programmes to get access to their buyers. We support the ban and such pressures are not new for the industry. We will have to look at the point of sales promotion and go for innovative inserts in cigarette packs, said a Godfrey Phillips India (GPI) spokesperson. GPI, the second largest cigarette manufacturer in the country, spent roughly Rs 20 crore (Rs 200 million) on advertising in 2003-04. Market leader ITC refused to comment on the issue, but the ad industry estimated that it will lose business worth Rs 80-90 crore (Rs 800-900 million) that year when ITC pulls out its ads. International cigarette giant Phillip Morris which started marketing the Marlboro brand directly in the country earlier in 2004, had gone on an outdoor advertising overdrive to make the most of the remaining few weeks before the ban takes effect. We deal with such regulations in various markets internationally. But the good thing is that this regulation is uniform and there is a level playing field, said Ajit Sahgal, GM Philip Morris (India). But Ashok Aggarwal, president DS Group, the largest chewing tobacco company in India said that it will be very difficult to monitor surrogate advertising. Let us have a look at some of the advertisements that were shown before the ban: [pic] This advertisement was published in 1930. It clearly shows that the need to communicate about tobacco products existed in Indian market from long back. pic] Product: Filter Wills- navy cut Manufacturer: ITC [pic] These advertisements directly show the product and communicate about it. It actually talked about the bondage between he product and the consumer and the â€Å"made for each other† punch-line signified that the bond between the product and the smoker is as sweet as the relationship between a man and a woman; moreover the visuals showed the closeness and joy that a consumer is supposed to have by consuming the product. [pic] Product: Gold Flake Manufacturer: ITC Agency: Bates India Pvt. Ltd. [pic] Product: Gold Flake Manufacturer: ITC Agency: Bates India Pvt. Ltd. [pic] Product: Gold Flake Manufacturer: ITC Agency: Bates India Pvt. Ltd. All these three advertisements shown above talks about the product quality and conveys a message which psychologically counters the fear of consumers of having a throat-problem because of smoking. By using the term â€Å"honeydew† the communication is focused not only to establish a superior product quality but the word honey also reduces the fear of throat-problems as we ll know that honey is used to cure throat problems, being widely used in Indian context. [pic] Wills Insignia is also another product from the house of ITC. In this piece of advertisement, the packaging, colour scheme, copy and the visual used talk about the superior quality and thus positions the product as a symbol of social status. The visual is based on black back-ground, as black is considered as the colour of power and dignity. [pic] Four Square is a well-known cigarette brand of the global tobacco giant Godfrey Phillips. This advertisement talks about the macho-image of a man, essentially a consumer of Four-Square, and his abilities to impress woman. This advertisement influences the customer by showing macho-man image. There has been a complete change in terms of communications in tobacco industry after the ban came into play: [pic] Above shown is an advertisement by Godfrey Phillips, which simply talks about lifestyle or philoosophies. But the position of the fingers, the placing of the content and the words used like â€Å"fire† and â€Å"passion† readily allows the consumer to relate with a cigarette. The most interesting thing that had happened in this entire surrogate scenario is the brand-extension of ITC as WILLS LIFESTLES, a chain of lifestyle stores that offer premium quality apparels. Some of the communications or advertisements that were published in print media to advertise WILLS LIFESTYLE are shown below: [pic] This advertisement of wills lifestyles exhibits the premium quality clothing using up-market models and ambience. [pic] In this piece of communication, high-end luxurious lifestyle was flaunted to communicate that people who wear will lifestyle apparels live a wealthy and luxurious life like shown above. This advertisement directly influences the aspiration level of the consumers and they feel like trying it. [pic] In all those advertisements shown above, of Wills Lifestyle, there is no direct communication about the cloth-quality or the price factors which are usually found in case of garment advertisements. Instead of that, all these advertisements focus on the lifestyle, achievements and aspirations. The colour scheme, the logo-type and the font used are just look-alike to the cigarette brands. More interestingly, the product ranges are named after the cigarette brand WILLS CLASSIC, which directly reminds the consumer about the original product. The name ‘Wills’ stands for the red and white packet of cigarettes and also perfume, soap, apparels, lifestyle store et all†¦. This is a classic example of brand extension that borders on surrogate advertising. [pic] The show-down The Information Broadcasting Ministry, under the Cable Network Rules, 1994 had imposed a ban on advertisements of tobacco and liquor products on satellite channels effective from 6 October, 200O. The governments aim obviously was reducing the exposure of such ads to teenagers in habit forming years. While advertising on Doordarshan had always been banned, the restriction on private channels had done away with one of the most effective channel of communication for the players in those industries. The ban includes both direct as well as surrogate advertisements in its am