Do you believe companies who manufacture alcohol should be allowed to advertise on TV?

The advertising industry and alcohol advertising

The art of advertising goes back in time, way before the invention of television. The print medium became the primary source of advertising through books, magazines, journals, and newspapers. This was followed by the radio, and then came television advertising.

In the 1940s in the United States, the first-ever paid television commercial was broadcasted before a baseball game. Little did the advertisers know that they have now paved the path for one of the most trusted ways of advertising. From then began the journey of television advertising. A plethora of products started being advertised between and after shows. However, if there is one industry that still has not received complete freedom to advertise on television is the alcohol industry.

Why is the advertisement of alcohol on TV regulated?

As per the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Amendment Bill passed in 2000, alcohol brands have been prohibited from advertising on televisions since a significant percentage of television watchers could be minors. As per the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), advertisements are not allowed to include content in any format, be it visuals or illustrations, that can cause mental or moral harm and may exploit their vulnerability. This is the reason behind brands being prohibited from advertising directly.

However, alcohol brands have been given partial allowance to advertise for multiple reasons. One primary reason, as mentioned earlier, is that a significant number of minors also watch television and may get influenced by alcohol ads. This was witnessed in the past when Camel, a cigarette brand in the United States of America, launched a campaign featuring Joe Camel, the cartoon mascot of the brand. After the launch, teenage smokers increased from 0.5% to 32%.

Secondly, the kind of advertising that the brands opt for might be misleading. For instance, it could be misleading if a brand advertises that drinking an alcoholic beverage makes the person happy, lights up their eyes, and brings a smile to their face.

Advertisement routes opted by brands

Though alcohol brands have been prohibited from advertising directly, the brands opt for surrogate advertising. This is a technique of advertising where the brand replicates its image into a different product and advertises using it instead of promoting the product directly. It is a standard route that industries and brands who are not allowed to advertise take on mass media platforms.

Alcohol brands often advertise their products under surrogate products like sodas, music CDs, mineral water, etc. Several leaders in the industry, including Royal Challengers, Seagrams and Imperial Blue, use surrogate advertising and advertise their brand by using different products. A popular example is the ‘Men will be Men’ series launched by Imperial blue. If you notice the ad carefully, though the brand is an alcohol brand, the product mentioned is a set of music CDs.

To sum up

Keeping in mind the safety of consumers and advertising guidelines given by authorities, alcohol brands should not be allowed to advertise on TV. If they are permitted to do so, it can create havoc in society and have adverse effects. Hence, the advertising institutions in the country need to be careful with laws revolving around products like alcohol and pass guidelines accordingly. The best policy is to continue with the current format of allowing surrogate advertising and preventing alcohol brands from advertising on TV. This gives the brand the freedom to replicate its image on other products and market its products to the public whilst eliminating the possibility of minors being influenced negatively.