Gutka brands use surrogate advertising by promoting "mouth fresheners" or "herbal products" under similar names, maintaining brand visibility while circumventing tobacco advertising bans, despite being addictive and carcinogenic
Published Mar 11, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 11, 2025 | 7:00 AM
As per the global adult tobacco survey (GATS), 199.4 million adults in India consumed smokeless tobacco. (Shutterstock)
Synopsis: The Indian Health Ministry has urged the IPL to regulate tobacco and alcohol advertisements, including surrogate ads, for the upcoming 2025 season. With rising non-communicable diseases linked to tobacco and alcohol use, the Health Ministry emphasizes that IPL’s visibility should not promote such harmful substances. The Ministry has called for a strict ban on all related ads and endorsements, both in stadiums and on national broadcasts.
It was the Champions Trophy 2025 final between India and New Zealand on Sunday 9 March. Over 60 crore people are glued to the JioHotstar OTT platform. During the commercial breaks, Bollywood star Salman Khan appears on screen, promoting a Gutkha brand disguised as Elaichi through surrogate advertising.
Not only that, but advertisements for brands like Vimal, Pan Bahar, Raj Niwas, Baba, and Shikhar are commonly displayed across stadiums in India. These ads are strategically placed in sports arenas to ensure maximum visibility on television broadcasts.
However, the Indian Health Ministry has taken cognizance of this issue and has asked the Indian Premier League (IPL) management to regulate tobacco and alcohol advertisements, including surrogate ads and product sales, during the upcoming IPL season starting on March 22, 2025.
Director General of Health Services, Dr. Atul Goel, has written to IPL Chairperson Arun Singh Dhumal, highlighting India’s growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic lung disease, diabetes, and hypertension, which collectively account for more than 70% of annual deaths.
“Tobacco and alcohol consumption are key risk factors for NCDs. India ranks second in the world for tobacco-related deaths, with nearly 14 lakh fatalities annually, while alcohol remains the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the country,” he stated.
The Indian Premier League (IPL), being India’s most-watched sporting event, plays a significant role in shaping public perceptions. Any direct or indirect promotion of tobacco or alcohol through platforms linked to sports sends a contradictory message about health and fitness.
“Therefore, the IPL should strictly enforce regulations banning all forms of tobacco and alcohol advertising, including surrogate advertisements, within stadium premises where IPL matches and related events take place. This ban should also extend to telecasts on national television, the sale of tobacco and alcohol products at all affiliated events and sports facilities, and the endorsement of such products by sportspersons, including commentators, whether directly or indirectly,” the Director General (DG) of Health Services stated in his letter.
He further emphasised that cricketers serve as role models for young people, promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. As the largest sports platform in the country, the IPL has a social and moral responsibility to support public health initiatives and align with the government’s efforts to promote well-being.
In 2022, a staggering 1,99,65,054 cancer cases were reported worldwide, resulting in 97,36,520 tragic deaths. The most prevalent types of cancer globally include lung, breast, and colorectal cancers. Lung, colorectal, and liver cancers top the list in terms of fatalities.
Surprisingly, in India, which documented 14,13,316 cancer cases and 9,16,827 cancer-related deaths, a specific type of cancer, less common on a global scale, emerges as a major concern.
Lip and oral cavity cancer ranks second — behind breast cancer — among prevalent cancers in India. In 2022 alone, 1,43,759 cases and 79,979 deaths were reported.
Chewing of tobacco and pan often manifests as ulcerative lesions, initially presenting with pain.
“Unfortunately, individuals might tend to neglect these early signs, allowing the lesions to grow. If not addressed promptly, these ulcers can develop into more severe conditions, potentially spreading to the neck and even the lungs,” Dr L Rohit Reddy, Consultant Medical Oncologist & Hemato-oncologist at Yashoda Hospitals in Hyderabad, told South First.
“Primarily, oral cancer is associated with habits such as tobacco chewing and the use of gutka. In the case of gutka, individuals place them inside their mouths. This involves holding it with the thumb under the lip. In the past, chewing tobacco leaves and betel nuts were prevalent. The process involved crushing the betel nut leaves and placing them in the mouth, typically between the lip and the lower gum. Cheek cancers were then more common,” Dr AN Vaidhyswaran, Director and Senior Consultant Radiation Oncologist at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai, told South First.
Former cricketers like Virendra Sehwag, Sunil Gavaskar, and Kapil Dev, and Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan, and Akshay Kumar, too, indirectly promote these gutka brands.
The advertisements are not for gutka, but promoting cardamom. However, they carry the same brand name, and in the market, they are sold as gutka.
Advertisers resort to surrogacy since tobacco and alcohol advertisements are banned in the country. So these brands use stars to advertise their brand of gutka as cardamom or some other product.
Surrogate advertising is a practice where a brand promotes a different product or service as a means to indirectly promote a product that may be banned or restricted by law or regulations.
The gutka brands use surrogate advertising by promoting a “mouth freshener” or “herbal product” under a similar or the same brand name.
This is done to maintain brand visibility and recognition, while complying with laws that restrict or ban the direct advertising of tobacco products.
On the other hand, these products — gutkas — are highly addictive and carcinogenic, making them responsible for oral cancer and other severe negative health effects.
Interestingly, states in India started prohibiting gutka in 2012, and by the end of 2013, it was banned nationwide. But it’s easily available in any nearby shop. The surrogate advertisements during the telecast of games not only promote the sale of these products but also kill thousands of Indians as well as burdening lakhs of poor with hefty medical bills.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
