Lecture on Surrogate Advertising

Mr. Ishtiyaque Ahmad Tauheedi, a final year student of MBA at AMU, Aligarh and an awardee of IOS scholarship presented a paper based on his MBA dissertation entitled “Surrogate Advertising: Concepts and Practices” which was completed under the supervision of Prof. S.M. Ozair, Dean, Faculty of Management Studies and Research, AMU, Aligarh in the premises of the local chapter on May 12, 2003 which was attended by a good number of students belonging to Business Administration Department of the University and the Aligarh-based awardees of IOS Scholarship.

Mr. Ishtiyaque described the need and usefulness of advertisement and said that advertising got inestimable value for producers and distributors on one hand and for customers on the other. It enables the former to maintain contact with customers who are widely scattered and often unknown, it assists the latter in choosing those goods and services that are the best suited to their particular requirement.

He defined surrogate advertising as “an advertisement of a brand extension in such a way that brings clear recall of the core product in the mind of the consumer”, and said that the concept of surrogate advertising in India emerged due to certain regulations enforced on the promotion of certain products mainly liquor and tobacco (products). Here the companies producing these products, in order to avoid legal complications, and also in order to remain in the minds of consumers, use reminder advertising by way of resorting to surrogate advertising. These companies advertise their brand extensions for the promotion of the core brand.

Mr. Ishtiyaque said that an advertisement of any thing whether it is product, service or event in the name of core brand by which the actual product is recalled is surrogate advertisement. He explained as to how cigarette companies have used the vehicle of surrogate advertising to reach the minds of consumers from time to time by giving examples of 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-shirts worn by the Indian cricket team. He also cited the example of Wills classic collection (suiting and shirting) which is also an example of surrogate advertising.

Moving ahead, he gave the examples of liquor companies which have successfully used the name of the core brand with some other products like Royal Challenge extends its core brand in the name of sports equipments with a slogan like ‘Golf is a Royal Challenge’. Similarly, Bacardi extends its brand name by producing Becardi cassettes, Teacher’s advertises in the name of Teacher’s Achievement Awards, Mcdowells’ in the name of Soda, Aristocrat, 8 PM, Contessa and AC Black go ahead in the name of apple juice, and Gilbey’s & Kingfisher in the name of water etc.

He also talked of an advertisement (surrogate in nature) in which a small line of 6-8 font size statement reading CDs and Cassettes of the 100 pipers pure music series are available in select outlets whereas no CD, cassette or music system is shown. Above all, Seagrams 100 pipers (which is a wine) is written in a manner that it is creating an image of bottle sticker, i.e. round folded sticker.

The speaker informed that in our country no specific laws are there to control the activities relating to surrogate advertisement. He however said that 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. The cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, Press Council of India Act 1978 and the Cinematography Act 1952.

According to the speaker regulation and ban is not going to affect surrogate advertising because TV Channels are free to air ads of Kingfisher mineral water and other products like Aristocrat Apple Juice though it is clear like the day that these products have been produced by the liquor companies. Secondly the consumers of liquor and tobacco companies are mostly habitual of their brands and they are not much affected by the advertisements.

Sham-e-Muzakarah

The chapter organised two sham-e-muzakarahs. On May 31, 2003 Muzakarah was organised on “Communalism in Education” in the library of the local chapter at 5.30 p.m. which was initiated by Mr. Abdul Aleem, a student of B.A. (F) Economics, AMU, Aligarh and an awardee of IOS scholarship. Almost all the Aligarh-based awardees of IOS scholarship, some other students, Dr. Jawed Ahmad Khan and the Coordinator of the chapter, Mr. Mohammad Muqim who presided over the programme, attended the programme.

An awardee of IOS scholarship and a Ph.D. scholar of Department of Urdu, AMU, Aligarh presented a paper on “Urdu Novel Par Taqseem-e-Hind ke Asrat” at 5.30 p.m. on 28.7.2003 which was attended by a large number of research scholars from Urdu Department.

Mr. Mohammad Serajuddin Khan, while conducting the programme, exhorted the students to use IOS platform for exchanging their view points with other students on the issues and problems of our contemporary society.

Mr. Mohammad Muqim presided over the programme and advised the students to discuss and share their views on any topic that is discussed at any forum because by doing so they would develop their personality.

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