Tuborg Zero - Surrogate Advertising revisited !!

 We've seen mineral water, sponsored events/awards, music CDs to name a few surrogates in the past when it comes of advertising a banned commodity like alcohol in India. But, Tuborg has decided to take a step ahead of its counterparts in the alcohol advertisement arena. The first look of the commercial and you are left stupefied guessing what on earth is Tuborg 'Zero' really? The answer is encrypted in the name itself. Its zero, nothing tangible when it comes of the product they appear to advertise.

The newly designed bottle and logo

Few months back, Tuborg gave an all new visual appeal to its beer bottle with a changed label and logo. This has been almost immediately followed by a TV commercial which boasts of a non-alcoholic malt beverage called Tuborg Zero packed in their new looking bottle. This is a more overt approach of advertising their banned product which comprises of 'Tuborg Green' and 'Tuborg Strong' marketed by the Carlsberg group. Their message however remains simple - 'We don't violate the rules and we just won't do that'.

A traditional party with a catchy track from the 70's bollywood in the background is the basic setup of their TV ad. Cratefuls of Zeros are brought in sets the stage for a zingy party. Clearly, this setup indicates the obvious drink in the crates. There have been various instances in the clip where the innovative ring pull cap used in the Tuborg beers has been accentuated by bringing in many peeling-off illustrations through various means.

In a nutshell, the brand emphasizes itself as a product to capitalize upon Indian youth which ought to be its target consumers. It creates a trendy, energetic statement as per its tagline 'Open for fun', which its competitors have been lacking if looked upon. This overt approach taken by them, although criticized by many promises to do justice to the product and its branding.

RATING - 8.5/10