India is going to impose strict rules to ban surrogate advertising and event sponsorship. This change is claimed to change the marketing strategies of global liquor companies like Carlsberg, Pernod Ricard and Diageo.
Such advertisements are often promoted by popular Bollywood film stars. They can now fine companies and ban celebrities who endorse tobacco and alcohol ads they consider misleading, according to draft rules put forward by the top consumer affairs civil servant and first reported by Reuters.
Celebrities will also be held responsible
“You cannot take a roundabout way to promote products,” official Nidhi Khare told Reuters. She said the final rules are expected to be issued within a month. Khare further said that if we find the advertisement misleading, then people advertising those products (including celebrities) will be held responsible.
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The player is a role model for millions of youth across the world
The Union Health Ministry has urged the BCCI and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to take steps to prevent indirect advertisements of tobacco and alcohol to sportspersons, saying they are role models for millions of youth not only in the country but across the world.
In a letter to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Roger Binny and SAI director general Sandip Pradhan, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Atul Goel on Thursday said sportspersons, especially cricketers, are role models for the youth in promoting a healthy, active and productive lifestyle.
BCCI will take strict action against the players
Goyal said that BCCI is entrusted with the task of creating policies, frameworks, guidelines to promote the game of cricket (and its governance) keeping in mind the players and cricket fans of India… and it is disappointing to see some well-known cricketers and famous actors indirectly advertising tobacco and/or alcohol related products during cricket events like IPL. He said that BCCI can take positive steps to prevent players from indirectly advertising tobacco and/or alcohol related products by considering this issue seriously.
