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P.T. Jyothi Datta
Neha Kaushik

NEW DELHI, April 10

THE definition of `surrogate' promotions continues to fox both alcoholic beverage companies and administrators alike, even as the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) proposes pre-emptive censure measures.

Flummoxed by the IBF's recent letters to liquor companies and electronic media on removing a host of commercials by liquor companies — the latter are trying to grapple with how a "genuine brand extension" can be put on par with a "lifestyle-Web site", for instance.

And while the alcoholic beverage industry is in agreement that any commercial that shows women in a derogatory manner be rapped on the knuckles, they are concerned about who will be the deciding authority on the issue.

The commercials yanked off the air include Jagatjit Industries' AC Black advertisements featuring a cheeky exchange between a man and woman in a pub, Radico Khaitan's (RK) 8 pm apple juice ad showing the Generals exchanging glasses of apple-juice, and RK's Special Appointment apple juice featuring the snowman or Yeti dance. AC Black has been asked to get back to the IBF with manufacturing and distribution details on its product-extension.

Mr Deepankar Barat, Director, Jagatjit Industries Ltd, told Business Line that his company was all for pre-censorship to weed out derogatory portrayal of women. He expressed his concern on who would decide whether one commercial was more obscene than another.

"What we seek is a level playing field, where a rule applied to us be used to measure commercials by other liquor companies as well. One will have to wait and see whether prejudices can be kept out of the issue."

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverages Companies (CIABC)'s President, Mr Pramod Krishna, said that the issue was two-dimensional.

"The legitimacy of the product extension and whether it is meeting the CIABC code on advertising."

He said that a panel would be formed comprising representatives from the IBF, the CIABC and advertising fraternity to scan every commercial from a liquor company, which is a member of the CIABC.

"Self-regulation would be the order and in future, we would look to evaluate the commercials, while it is still in the drawing board stage," he said, adding that the CIABC does not subscribe to the word "surrogate", which implied that the product was non-existent.

Echoing similar sentiments, the UB Spirits Division President, Mr Vijay Rekhi, said that UB's Bagpiper Soda and McDowell's water have sold 1.5 million cases and yet were being treated on par with the non-existent product extensions of other liquor companies.

Further, he pointed out, that the liquor industry was being singled out, as brand extensions in the FMCG segment did not kick-up any controversy. "This issue needs to be dealt with decisively," he added.

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