New Restrictions on Alcohol Advertising: Is Alibi Branding Also Prohibited?

Law No. 7584, which was published in the Official Gazette on 20 June 2026 and entered into force on the same date, introduced significant amendments to the provisions of Law No. 4250 on the Monopoly of Spirits and Alcoholic Beverages concerning the advertising and promotion of alcoholic beverages and the use of brands.

The new rules concern support provided by producers, importers and marketers in the alcoholic beverage sector to events, publications and posts; the use of alcoholic beverage brands and packaging elements at points of sale and event venues; and restrictions on the use of the same brand for both fermented and distilled alcoholic beverages.

These amendments do not abolish or replace the existing general prohibition on alcohol advertising. Rather, they provide further detail on the scope of the existing prohibition in relation to certain forms of use and impose clearer restrictions, particularly on the use of elements appearing on product packaging for indirect promotional purposes.

Support for Events, Publications and Posts

Under Law No. 4250, the advertising of alcoholic beverages and their promotion to consumers are already prohibited in any form. The previous rules also prohibited producers, importers and marketers of alcoholic beverages from supporting any event by using their products’ trademarks, emblems or signs. The new rules have expanded both the scope of the support prohibition and the elements covered by it.

Accordingly, producers, importers and marketers of alcoholic beverages may not support any event, or any publication or post in any medium, by using their trade names, their products’ trademarks, emblems or logos, or any expressions, shapes, names, signs or visuals appearing on the packaging in which the products are offered for sale.

It is noteworthy that the law uses the term “support”, which may be interpreted more broadly, rather than “sponsorship”. The rules should therefore be taken into account not only in relation to conventional sponsorship agreements, but also in relation to in-kind or financial contributions to events, collaborations with content creators, contributions to digital publications, social media content, cultural and artistic events, and similar commercial communication activities.

In addition to the trademarks, emblems and signs covered by the previous rules, trade names, logos and elements appearing on the packaging in which products are offered for sale are now expressly included within the scope of the prohibition. Accordingly, even where an alcoholic beverage trademark is not used directly, the use of a slogan, shape, name or visual taken from product packaging in a supported event, publication or post may be considered to fall within the scope of the prohibition.

Uses at Points of Sale and Event Venues

Under the new rules, the names, trademarks, logos and emblems of alcoholic beverages or companies operating in the alcoholic beverage sector, as well as any expressions, shapes, names, signs and visuals appearing on the packaging in which the products are offered for sale, may not be kept inside or outside business premises, in shop windows or sales units, or at any event venue.

However, this restriction concerning points of sale is not entirely new. The Regulation on the Sale and Presentation of Alcoholic Beverages already provided that words, shapes, images and letters containing alcoholic beverage trademarks, logos, emblems or signs could not be kept inside or outside business premises, in shop windows, on signboards, in sales units or refrigerators, or on fixed or movable materials.

The new rules therefore elevate the existing restrictions on visibility at points of sale to the statutory level and clarify the scope of the prohibition by expressly referring to company names and to expressions, shapes, names, signs and visuals appearing on the packaging in which products are offered for sale.

Business premises that held a retail or on-premises alcoholic beverage sales licence before the publication of the law must comply with the new rules by 20 June 2027. By contrast, as the transitional provision does not provide a separate compliance period for event venues, the restriction concerning event venues has applied since 20 June 2026, the date on which the law entered into force.

The exception allowing the use of trademarks, emblems and logos on serving materials at business premises holding an on-premises alcoholic beverage sales licence has been retained. However, it should be borne in mind that this exception is limited to serving materials and should not be interpreted broadly as covering all tables, chairs, menus, signboards, decorations or point-of-sale materials.

Prohibition on the Use of the Same Brand for Fermented and Distilled Alcoholic Beverages

Another significant amendment introduced by the law is the prohibition on the use of the same brand for both fermented and distilled alcoholic beverages. Accordingly, brands of fermented alcoholic beverage products may not be used for distilled alcoholic beverage production, while brands of distilled alcoholic beverage products may not be used for fermented alcoholic beverage production.

Products for which the same brand was used for fermented and distilled alcoholic beverages before the publication of the law were required to be brought into compliance with the new rules within three months. This period expired on 20 September 2026, and products that do not comply with the rules may no longer be placed on the market.

The rules require companies operating in the alcoholic beverage sector to review their brand portfolios and brand extension strategies. In particular, for brand families in which the same principal brand is used for beer, wine or other fermented products and for distilled alcoholic beverages, it is important to assess the products, registrations and actual uses together.

Does the New Regulation Prohibit Alibi Branding?

Following the entry into force of the general prohibition on alcohol advertising in 2013, practices commonly referred to as “alibi branding” emerged in the sector. In these practices, colours, shapes, designs, slogans, concepts or similar distinctive elements associated with the principal brand are used without directly using the principal brand of the alcoholic beverage.

In an earlier decision, the Advertising Board treated a phrase alleged to be connected with an alcoholic beverage brand as a separate sign. Taking into account that the relevant advertising and promotional materials did not feature the alcoholic beverage brand, its logo or a product image, the Board concluded that there was no violation of the applicable legislation.

In its subsequent decisions, however, the Board began to adopt a stricter approach to alibi branding and the use of related signs. In those decisions, the Board took into account the organic connection between the slogans, signs and other elements used and the alcoholic beverage brands, and regarded certain practices as indirect or covert advertising of alcoholic beverages even where the principal brand was not displayed directly. The Board’s recent decisions also indicate that this approach continues.

The legislative process leading to the new rules is also important in relation to alibi branding. The initial version of the bill envisaged including within the scope of the prohibition names and signs that “evoke” alcoholic beverage brands or other distinctive elements. However, an amendment adopted by the Plenary of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye replaced these expressions, and the final text instead refers to “expressions, shapes, names, signs and visuals appearing on the packaging in which the products are offered for sale”. The reasons for the amendment state that the provision was intended to be redrafted in clear and unambiguous terms, in accordance with the principle of legal certainty.

It is therefore not possible to conclude that the final text of the law automatically prohibits every use that merely “evokes” an alcoholic beverage brand. The rules focus directly on elements appearing on the packaging in which the product is offered for sale.

However, this does not mean that alibi branding practices that do not use elements taken verbatim from product packaging are permitted. Uses that establish an organic connection with the principal brand and have the purpose or effect of creating demand for an alcoholic beverage product may be regarded as a violation under the general advertising and promotion prohibition in Law No. 4250 and the Advertising Board’s recent decisions.

Accordingly, when assessing whether alibi branding complies with the law, it will not be sufficient to consider only whether the sign used appears on the product packaging. The context of the use, its visual and conceptual connection with the principal brand, its target audience, the medium in which it is used, whether the event or content is supported by an alcoholic beverage producer, and the overall commercial communication effect created among consumers should be considered together.

The Ministry’s Statement on Signboard Colours

An announcement published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry states that the new rules do not contain any provision concerning signboard colours.¹

Indeed, colours are not listed in the law as a separate and independently prohibited element. It is therefore difficult to conclude that the use of a particular colour alone is directly prohibited under the new provision.

However, the Ministry’s statement should not be understood as granting a general and absolute freedom in relation to signboard colours. Where a particular colour or colour combination is used together with a slogan, shape, typeface, packaging design, product silhouette or other distinctive elements belonging to an alcoholic beverage brand, the overall appearance may separately be assessed to determine whether it constitutes advertising or promotion of an alcoholic beverage.

Accordingly, signboard and point-of-sale practices should be assessed by considering not only the colours used, but also the overall design and the connection it establishes with the principal brand.

What Should Companies Consider During the Compliance Process?

The new rules require companies to review not only conventional advertising campaigns, but all commercial communication channels in which alcoholic beverage brands and packaging elements may be visible.

Companies should identify whether slogans, expressions, shapes and visuals appearing on the packaging in which products are offered for sale are used in corporate communications or alibi branding campaigns. Existing brand portfolios, product names and brand extension strategies for fermented and distilled alcoholic beverages should also be reviewed, and companies should ensure that fermented and distilled alcoholic beverage products bearing the same brand that were not brought into compliance are not placed on the market as of 20 September 2026.

By expressly prohibiting the use of elements taken from product packaging in events, publications, posts and points of sale, the new rules have significantly increased the risks associated with such practices. For alibi branding practices that do not use elements appearing on product packaging but establish a connection with the principal brand, it remains important to monitor the general advertising prohibition, the Advertising Board’s approach and judicial practice.

The details of implementation will become clearer through statements by administrative authorities and decisions to be issued by the Advertising Board under the new rules. At this stage, however, any use that may establish a direct or indirect connection with an alcoholic beverage brand should be assessed cautiously and in its own context.

¹ Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Announcement on the Legislative Amendment Concerning Alcohol Advertising.