DTI: Marketing stunts need to secure permit

FILE: Department of Trade and Industry on Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City (Photo By patrickroque01/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA – Following the recent online uproar over takoyaki store’s marketing stunt on April Fool’s Day, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reminded businesses to secure permits from the agency first before conducting such activity.

In an interview with Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon on Thursday, DTI Assistant Secretary Amanda Nograles said a marketing stunt falls under the definition of sales promotion because its purpose is to increase customers and sales, as well as to promote the brand.

“Under the regulations, DTI has the authority over that. They have to secure a permit (for sales promotion),” Nograles said in mixed English and Filipino.

To recall, takoyaki store “Taragis” posted on Facebook on April Fool’s Day a dare to tattoo Taragis’ logo on one’s forehead, and whoever will do it will receive a PHP100,000 prize.

A person commented on a photo of him with the store’s logo on his forehead and asking the business owner, Carl Quion, where to claim his prize.

Taragis’ Facebook page made another post that the establishment does not have any responsibility on what happened because the post had a disclaimer.

The event caused uproar online, and on April 6, the business owner admitted that it was all a marketing stunt and the person who tattooed the business logo on his forehead was an accomplice.

“The establishment admitted that it’s a marketing gimmick to lure (customers), promote the establishment, (so) it appears to be promotional in that sense,” Nograles said.

“If they don’t have the promo permit from DTI, they can be held responsible for the violation of conducting (the) promotion without securing first the sales of promo permit,” she added.

Nograles said the DTI has a team monitoring establishments on their conduct of sales promotion both onsite and online.

Nograles also encouraged consumers to be critical when it comes to sales promotions by reading the mechanics and terms and conditions of the activity.

Consumers may report any establishments to DTI if there is such activity with no DTI promo permit.