CCPA attempts to curb surrogate alcohol ads ahead of IPL

The CCPA has asked alcohol manufacturers to submit a list of products sold under the same brand name as their alcohol beverage within 15 days.

This comes just days ahead of the IPL, a period where advertisers heavily broadcast surrogate ads across mediums. The consumer watchdog has further asked for revenue and turnover data related to sale of alcobev as well as on brand extension products.

The CCPA further mentioned that the '2022 Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements' issued by them forbid surrogate advertising. However, these guidelines allow the promotion of other products using the same brand name or logo as the prohibited product, however, they must adhere to the guidelines' provisions and are not deemed objectionable.

CCPA also wants data on the expenses incurred in promoting brand extensions such as sponsorship of events, music festivals, payments to celebrities and influencers and TV ads provided to them. The aim is to compare the actual sale of the surrogate product versus the money spent on its promotion.

“This assessment is critical for determining whether promoting of brand extension products authentically represents the extended product or functions as a surrogate for alcoholic beverages under the same brand,” CCPA chief commissioner Rohit Kumar Singh said.

“The industry is advised to ensure that all brand extensions follow the broad principles of advertising only genuine extensions (that is, turnover and distribution in proportion to advertising spends), and ensure that advertisements contain no cues of restricted category such as tag lines and layouts and do not unduly suppress the category name and extension being advertised," CCPA's direction revealed.