Carlsberg doesn't see dramatic curbs on India liquor ads

United Breweries

14/08/2024 14:56

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
       COPENHAGEN, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Carlsberg  CARLb.CO 
doesn't expect any dramatic changes to rules for liquor ads in
India, the brewer's CEO said on Wednesday, after reports the
country is set to announce sweeping rules that will bar even
so-called surrogate ads.
    India bans direct advertising of liquor, but companies often
use surrogate ads that promote their brands more generally.  
    India's top civil servant for consumer affairs told Reuters
this month that new rules were expected to be issued within a
month that could bring fines for companies and bans for
celebrities involved in misleading ads.
    "It is not our impression that anything is given about a
potential advertising ban," Carlsberg CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen
told Reuters in an interview.
    Carlsberg promotes its Tuborg drinking water in India, with
an ad showing film stars at a rooftop dance party and the slogan
"Tilt Your World", which echoes its Tuborg beer ads elsewhere,
emblazoned with the message: "Drink Responsibly".
    Aarup-Andersen said anti-alcohol lobby groups in India had
recently taken aim at surrogate ads, but that the industry had
also been heard in the ongoing consultation process. 
    "Now we have to see where it ends. We do not expect dramatic
changes to regulation, and if there are changes, we will handle
it," he said.

 (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Mark Potter)
 ((jacob.pedersen@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @JacobGronholt;))