Government to put an end to surrogate ads?

According to reports, new draft rules are set to release in the next 15 days.

Alcohol brands that rely on advertising glass tumblers, playing cards, music CDs to implicitly promote their alcohol brands may have to put a complete stop to these ‘surrogate’ advertisements, unless they can continually prove that these products have a market of their own. 

According to a mint report, new draft rules on surrogate advertising being prepared by the Union consumer affairs ministry.

“This measure is intended to ensure that children and young people, who are potential customers, are not influenced by surrogate advertisements," a person familiar to the matter said to Mint.

The draft rules are currently being finalised and are expected to be released for public comments in 15 days.

Manufacturers will be required to regularly submit market reports on the availability and sales volumes of the advertised products in the retail market. Besides, certificates of sales must be made available online for public viewing to verify if there are indeed substantial sales of the advertised products.

As per the report, the proposed guidelines will be governed by the Consumer Protection Act 2029, which will specifically mention what they (firms) can do and what they cannot. An 11-member committee formed chaired by consumer affairs joint secretary Anupam Mishra is drafting the new rules. The committee includes representatives from industry and consumer groups.