When Advertising Is Restricted, What Keeps a Brand Memorable?
Advertising restrictions, particularly in the tobacco industry, have pushed brands toward surrogate marketing to maintain their presence through activities such as concerts, sports, and community events without directly featuring the product.
This strategy works because it builds emotional associations and positive experiences that make consumers remember a brand's values and identity, not just its product.
While sponsorship helps strengthen brand recall, its long-term effectiveness depends on the consistency of brand identity and its ability to create relevant memories amid shifting media and regulations.
Advertising has long been regarded as the primary way to build a brand. The logic is simple: the more often a brand appears before consumers, the greater its chances of being remembered.
Yet there is something worth examining. Certain product categories face strict advertising restrictions, and yet their brand recognition remains high. In Indonesia, the tobacco industry is a clear example. Even as advertising space grows increasingly limited, cigarette brand names continue to appear through music concerts, sports tournaments, scholarship programs, and various community activities.
This phenomenon shows that building a strong brand does not always depend on how often a product is advertised. There are other ways for a brand to remain present in consumers' minds, even when its promotional space is restricted.
When the Product Can No Longer Be the Face of the Brand
To understand this phenomenon, we need to look at the regulatory context. In Indonesia, rules on cigarette advertising have grown stricter over time. According to LSPR Institute (2024), Article 446 paragraph (1) of Government Regulation (PP) 28/2024 prohibits cigarette producers, importers, and distributors from advertising their products on social media. This rule adds to restrictions already in place. In fact, since PP 109/2012 took effect, cigarette companies have also no longer been permitted to use their trade names as event sponsors, which left many music concert organizers at the time struggling to find funding sources (Tirto.id, 2018).
These restrictions have forced brands to find other ways to remain visible to consumers. When the core product cannot be promoted directly, brand identity itself becomes the asset that is continually put on display. One strategy widely used for this purpose is surrogate marketing.
Put simply, surrogate marketing is a strategy of promoting a different product, service, or activity that still carries the same brand identity. This allows a brand to maintain its presence in consumers' minds even when its main product does not appear in promotional materials. In marketing literature, the term is often used broadly. Event sponsorship, for instance, is also frequently discussed as a form of brand stretching or as part of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) activities. For this reason, this article uses the term surrogate marketing in its broader sense.
Surrogate Marketing Is More Than Just a Way Around the Rules
Many people view surrogate marketing as simply a way for brands to get around the rules. In reality, what is actually being sold is no longer the product, but the meaning behind the brand itself.
Rather than continuing to feature the product, brands seek to appear through contexts they want associated with their identity, such as music, sports, adventure, creativity, or community. In this way, what consumers remember is not only the product, but also the values and experiences associated with the brand.
Through music concerts, sports tournaments, or community activities, brands build associations meant to stay lodged in consumers' minds. What is remembered is not just the product name, but also the experience, emotion, and values that accompany it. This is why surrogate marketing is not only about how a brand stays visible, but also about how it stays relevant.
This strategy does not rely solely on advertising exposure, but on a brand's ability to build an emotional connection and a consistent identity through various activities beyond its main product.
Why Does This Strategy Remain Effective?
The question now is why this strategy remains effective even when the main product is not directly displayed. The answer lies not only in how often a brand is seen, but also in how it builds the associations, emotions, and experiences that stay lodged in consumers' minds.
1. Consumers remember the association, not just the product
Surrogate marketing works because what consumers remember is not only the product, but also the experience that comes with it. When a brand consistently shows up at concerts, festivals, tournaments, communities, or social activities, it gradually builds a strong association in the audience's mind.
This finding is also supported by research conducted in Indonesia. In a study of 100 visitors to the 2012 Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival, Februarini (2012) found that sponsorship had a significant effect on brand awareness for Djarum Super Mild. Although its contribution amounted to only around 28.8 percent, the result shows that a brand's presence within a shared experience still plays a role in building brand awareness, alongside other factors.
2. Emotion strengthens brand recall
Experiences that involve emotion tend to be easier to remember. This is why, when someone enjoys a concert or cheers on their favorite team, the positive emotions that arise can also become attached to the brand present as a sponsor.
Interestingly, a brand does not need to be the center of attention to gain this benefit. Its consistent presence at various moments that are meaningful to the audience is already enough to build a positive association over the long term.
If a positive association is built consistently over time, that connection does not stop at consumer memory. In the long run, a brand can even become part of the culture attached to a particular activity.
3. The brand becomes part of the culture
The biggest impact of this strategy may only become apparent after years. When a brand continues to consistently show up in the same activity, it eventually stops being merely a sponsor and becomes part of the surrounding culture.
An example can be seen in Djarum and badminton. According to PB Djarum's official website, its badminton development program began in 1969 at the old Bitingan barracks, where factory employees practiced every afternoon. That commitment has continued for decades. In 2019, for instance, Djarum Foundation was estimated to be the main sponsor of eight National Circuit series, contributing around Rp3.2 billion to Rp4 billion (Jawa Pos, 2020).
Something similar has happened in the music world. The Djarum Super Rock Festival, first held in 1984, became one of the important stages for the development of Indonesian rock music. Meanwhile, A Mild once built a strong association with music festivals through Soundrenaline, first held in 2002.
The same pattern can be seen in the alcoholic beverage industry in various countries. Brands such as Heineken are synonymous with European football competitions and music festivals, while Budweiser has long built its associations through sports and entertainment. Even though their product promotion space is restricted in many countries, both brands maintain their presence in consumers' minds through the experiences they support, not merely through product advertising.
These examples show that a brand does not always need to appear through advertising to be remembered. When a brand succeeds in becoming part of an experience and culture familiar to its consumers, its existence can endure far beyond a single marketing campaign.
So What About Sports Sponsorship?
One form of surrogate marketing that most often sparks debate is sports sponsorship. On one hand, sports are synonymous with health and enjoyed by people of all ages. On the other hand, some of the products being promoted actually have the opposite effect on health.
From a marketing perspective, sports offer many advantages, from a large audience and fan loyalty to strong emotional associations and repeated exposure. From an ethical perspective, however, this strategy continues to raise discussion about the normalization of the brand and its potential influence on younger age groups.
Data also helps explain why this issue continues to draw attention. Based on the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) cited by Indonesia's Ministry of Health (2024), around 65 percent of students aged 13–15 were exposed to cigarette advertising on television and at points of sale, around 61 percent through outdoor media, and 36.2 percent through the internet. The same survey also recorded a smoking prevalence of 19.2 percent among that age group. Furthermore, Megatsari et al. (2023) found that exposure to tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) increases smoking behavior among Indonesian adolescents.
An example of controversy related to sponsorship can also be seen in the 2019 PB Djarum Open Audition. As reported by Kompas.com (2019), the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) considered the event a form of child exploitation, sparking debate over the use of a cigarette brand's identity in activities involving underage participants.
The PB Djarum Open Audition was subsequently suspended in 2020 and 2021. In its official statement, Djarum Foundation said the program's suspension followed criticism from KPAI. The program resumed in 2022 with an adjusted format.
This example shows that the effectiveness of a marketing strategy and ethical considerations are two separate matters. A strategy can succeed in building a brand while still raising debate about its impact on public health and younger age groups.
When Sponsorship Alone Is Not Enough
After looking at the various examples above, one might get the impression that a brand only needs to sponsor a concert or tournament to be easily remembered by consumers. In reality, it is not that simple.
Sponsorship can indeed help build brand association, but it is not the only determining factor. Its effectiveness is also influenced by the consistency of brand identity, the fit between the brand and the activity it supports (brand fit), and the frequency and quality of the interactions formed with the audience.
In a survey of 96 respondents, Siregar and Sunarti (2017) found that event sponsorship had an effect on the brand image of Sampoerna A Mild. However, the study's coefficient of determination was only 46.5 percent, meaning that nearly half of the variation in brand image within the model could be explained by event sponsorship, while the remaining 53.5 percent was influenced by other factors outside the research model.
This finding shows that sponsorship should be viewed as one instrument within a brand-building strategy, not as a single solution. Without a clear brand identity and consistent experience, presence at an event does not necessarily produce a strong association in consumers' minds.
A Lesson for Every Brand
Although it emerged from a category restricted by regulation, the lesson of surrogate marketing is actually relevant to almost every brand.
Competition for consumer attention is now growing fiercer. A GroupM report cited by Campaign Indonesia (2024) projects that digital ad spending will account for 75 percent of total advertising spending in Indonesia by 2025. Although its growth projection differs, Dentsu Indonesia (2025) likewise estimates that digital channels will remain the fastest-growing ad spending medium, at around 10–12 percent. As more brands compete in the same space, the cost of capturing consumer attention rises as well.
Amid shifting regulations, platform algorithms, and rising advertising costs, the biggest challenge is no longer simply reaching more people. The challenge is how to stay memorable, even as promotional space grows more limited.
In the end, the greatest lesson of surrogate marketing is not how brands find ways to promote their products, but how they build memories that endure even as media continues to change.
1. Build brand assets, not just media assets
Many companies invest their budgets in chasing reach, impressions, or social media follower counts. These metrics are indeed important, but their value depends heavily on the platform being used. When an algorithm changes or a marketing channel loses its effectiveness, the reach that has been built can disappear along with it.
By contrast, assets such as brand association, customer experience, and community tend to last longer because they live in consumers' minds, not within a platform.
2. Don't just buy attention — give people a reason to remember you
Advertising helps a brand gain attention, but attention alone does not necessarily turn into memory. Brands that endure over time usually give consumers a reason to keep remembering them, for instance through experiences, communities, or involvement in activities relevant to the brand's identity.
3. Choose an arena that reinforces brand identity
Not all sponsorships will produce the same impact. What matters more is not how many events a brand supports, but whether that activity truly reinforces the brand's positioning. When a brand consistently appears within the same context, the association formed grows stronger over time.
4. Brand equity is "insurance" when media changes
Platforms will keep changing. Social media algorithms shift, advertising costs rise, and regulations can even restrict promotional space. However, brands that already have strong brand equity tend to endure because they already hold a place in their consumers' minds.
Closing
The greatest lesson of surrogate marketing is not how a brand finds ways to keep advertising. The greatest lesson is that a strong brand is built not only through media, but also through the memories embedded in consumers' minds.
Media will keep changing. Algorithms shift, advertising costs rise, and regulations can restrict promotional space. But once a brand has built strong associations, experiences, and meaning for its consumers, these changes do not automatically erase its position in their minds.
That is why there is one question every marketer should reflect on: if every paid advertising channel disappeared tomorrow, would consumers still remember your brand?
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