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World No Tobacco Day: What is surrogate advertising and why is pan masala so popular in India?

Every year, May 31 is observed as World No Tobacco Day around the world. It was established by the World Health Organization in 1987 to call global attention to the deadly effects of tobacco consumption and to discourage the carcinogen’s use in any form. Like the world, India is no stranger to the tobacco epidemic.

TN Viral Desk

Updated May 30, 2022, 23:24 IST

Image courtesy: Vimal Elaichi

Photo : YouTube

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

World No Tobacco Day is observed annually on May 31.
The sale of tobacco of directly is prohibited in India, so it is advertised as surrogate products such as mouth fresheners.
This form of advertising is called surrogate advertising.

Like the world, India is no stranger to the tobacco epidemic. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (India) conducted in 2016-17 estimated that there were nearly 26.7 crore tobacco users in the country aged 15 and above.

Tobacco use is one of the biggest public health concerns of WHO, leading people to not just lose their lives but also leave behind heavy economic and social costs. In the year 2017-18 alone, the total economic costs linked to tobacco use in India accounted for USD 27.5 billion.

Governments in India have, time and again, tried to introduce stricter policies regarding tobacco but it’s still pretty popular among Indians, especially as other alternatives are far less accessible. And tobacco continues to sell in India - only under a different name. You may have noticed that some of the biggest smokeless tobacco companies use euphemisms to sell their gutka.

This kind of commercial is called a surrogate ad.

What is surrogate advertising?

A surrogate, put simply, means a substitute. When a particular product, such as liquor or tobacco, cannot be advertised directly due to prohibition by law, it is sold under the disguise of another product sold by the same company.

This is true for both tobacco and liquor brands. Tobacco is not projected directly to consumers but instead masked under the image of mouth fresheners.

Many Indian celebrities have endorsed some of the leading companies' products in India. For instance, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan and Shah Rukh Khan all recently appeared in an ad for Vimal Elaichi.

Ranveer Singh and Amitabh Bachchan too were roped in by another Pan Masala brand called Kamla Pasand for its ad.

Where does India stand on tobacco in the mass media?

India has legislation as well as regulatory guidelines to keep tobacco sales under check. While the Cigarettes And Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition Of Advertisement And Regulation Of Trade And Commerce, Production, Supply And Distribution) Act, 2003, prohibits the advertisement and regulates the distribution of tobacco, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) code prohibits both direct and indirect references to these products.

However, in practice, the situation appears to be far more complicated. Many believe that the liquor and tobacco lobbies hold a big sway over governments, not just at home but around the world and this is the reason we have collectively failed to nip this problem in the bud.

Does surrogate advertising work?

Surveys and interviews have revealed that more than 95% of the people can identify prohibited products being advertised through surrogate ads. These are found to work better for the brands that an outright ban as public is constantly reminded of their presence.

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