The Banned Surrogate Marketing as Brand – New Brand Extension Advertising

Several years back, the brand LUX of HLL's beauty soap was extended to shampoos. Similarly Dabour's Vatika hair oil brand was extended to shampoos a couple of years back. This practice of extending brand name of one product line to another is named as brand extension advertising. The advantages are many like carry forwarding the brand image of one product line to another product line, brand awareness, same distribution chain etc. But the same useful practice is proving as harmful to the society by promoting the products which are legally banned to promote. The Government of India was imposed ban on promoting some products like liquor, tobacco etc. The companies stopped promoting the products but started promoting the brand name of the banned products through Brand Extension Advertising. For Example, In India, the liquor is prohibited to promote in media. But the liquor products of Royal Stag Company are promoted in another way. By establishing a new product, Royal Stag Music CDs, the company will promote the Brand Name. The Actual product Whiskey of Royal Stag Brand, which is banned to promote, and the brand extended product is Royal Stag Music CD, which can be promoted. Promoting a product, which is prohibited to promote through another product of the same brand, is called Surrogate Advertising. Government of India also imposed ban on Surrogate Advertising. But the Companies are practicing it by the name of brand extension advertising because they cannot lose the big markets like liquor and tobacco. This case study was undertaken to review various practices of the companies in promoting banned-to-promote products