Advertisement of products, starting just before the 19th century
with the indigenous motive of promoting goods and services and improving
sales, has gradually evolved in profile and domain, and today it has
become an innate part of the entire civilized human life. Be it
pamphlets and insets in journals or large-scale hoardings, television
commercials and sponsorship of popular events, advertisements have
flourished to form an immense industry directly and indirectly affecting
millions of lives all over the world. Aside from the mere promotional
influence that advertising pursuits have on people; today's needs,
habits and general behavior of the public are closely governed by the
advertisements that they regularly encounter.
While originally, viewers considered commercials plainly as grounds of comparison among products from different companies that they needed or planned to buy, but in the contemporary times, advertisements have now begun to portray each product as a fundamental requirement in a standard life, evoking in people the realization of new needs every day. The display of idealism in advertisements makes the subjects want to adopt the habits, lifestyle and behavior of characters. All in all, the kinds of products that are advertised in a region can have a great impact on the overall health and habits of individuals who witness them.
The governments of various countries, keeping the general welfare of the public in view, impose certain restrictions on or simply prohibit the advertisement of products that are either somehow harmful to the health and regular behavior of individuals using them or lead to impairment or discomfort among those who do not use them. The market and sales of such restricted products being adversely affected, companies resort to a modern solution known in the industry as surrogate advertising. Literally, the term "surrogate advertisement" refers to the extensive duplication of brand image of a particular product with the purpose of promoting a different product sold under the same brand.
The most common goods that resort to surrogate advertising are tobacco products, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. and the most prominent schemes of their indirect promotion include the sale and advertisement of other unrestricted products such as soda, music CDs and clothing lines by the same company, sponsorship of popular events such as cricket leagues and award functions, and attempts to brighten the image of companies by initiatives such as bravery awards. So, the products undesirable to the censoring authorities are indirectly advertised by reminding customers of the brand-name without ever coming to the forefront.
Although the primary aim behind the prohibition of advertisement of these products is reduction in their consumption and sale, the same restriction has been acknowledged to overcome competition against the domestic brands, since they have the advantage above new brands of being already renowned among consumers by their name and logo. To curb surrogate advertising, the governments create and impose numerous laws that are successful to some extent in precluding the promotion of undesirable products and services in disguise, but more solid strategies are still required to have a check upon this phenomenon.
While originally, viewers considered commercials plainly as grounds of comparison among products from different companies that they needed or planned to buy, but in the contemporary times, advertisements have now begun to portray each product as a fundamental requirement in a standard life, evoking in people the realization of new needs every day. The display of idealism in advertisements makes the subjects want to adopt the habits, lifestyle and behavior of characters. All in all, the kinds of products that are advertised in a region can have a great impact on the overall health and habits of individuals who witness them.
The governments of various countries, keeping the general welfare of the public in view, impose certain restrictions on or simply prohibit the advertisement of products that are either somehow harmful to the health and regular behavior of individuals using them or lead to impairment or discomfort among those who do not use them. The market and sales of such restricted products being adversely affected, companies resort to a modern solution known in the industry as surrogate advertising. Literally, the term "surrogate advertisement" refers to the extensive duplication of brand image of a particular product with the purpose of promoting a different product sold under the same brand.
The most common goods that resort to surrogate advertising are tobacco products, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. and the most prominent schemes of their indirect promotion include the sale and advertisement of other unrestricted products such as soda, music CDs and clothing lines by the same company, sponsorship of popular events such as cricket leagues and award functions, and attempts to brighten the image of companies by initiatives such as bravery awards. So, the products undesirable to the censoring authorities are indirectly advertised by reminding customers of the brand-name without ever coming to the forefront.
Although the primary aim behind the prohibition of advertisement of these products is reduction in their consumption and sale, the same restriction has been acknowledged to overcome competition against the domestic brands, since they have the advantage above new brands of being already renowned among consumers by their name and logo. To curb surrogate advertising, the governments create and impose numerous laws that are successful to some extent in precluding the promotion of undesirable products and services in disguise, but more solid strategies are still required to have a check upon this phenomenon.
