A GROUP of more than 100 diabetes experts has called for laws banning all forms of advertising of "unhealthy foods" that targets children.
The specialists, brought to together by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, looked at all the evidence available on how best to tackle rising rates of Type 2 diabetes, which they said was a major health threat.
They concluded that one measure would be to ban advertising directed at children for unhealthy products – such as fast food, crisps, chocolate and sugary drinks – to combat the obesity which increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
The group said current restrictions on television advertising during children's programmes should extend to all ads, including those in newspapers, magazines and on billboards, to stop an increase in the number of obese youngsters.
In January 2008, a total ban on adverts for unhealthy food and drink products around TV programmes for under-16s came into force.
The experts said preventing an increase in the number of youngsters who are obese would cut the risk of more people developing Type 2 diabetes.
The group also called for tighter regulations of the food, drink and catering industry following their meeting last week.
Dr Scott Ramsay, lead organiser of the event, said: "Rates of obesity and diabetes are increasing at alarming rates and pose one of the most serious health challenges of this time.
"In response to this, diabetes experts from across the UK have come together to call on the Scottish and UK governments to demonstrate greater leadership in tackling this crisis.
"In particular we believe that the lessons from effective legislation on smoking should be used to promote healthier diets, increased physical activity and to inform transport and planning policy.
"This should involve tighter regulation of the food and drink industry and the extension of restrictions on 'less healthy' food and drink advertising in children's television programmes to all forms of advertising aimed at children."
The recommendations will be sent to the Scottish Government and the Department of Health at Westminster.
Bridget Turner, head of policy at charity Diabetes UK, said: "As a result of increasing obesity levels among young people in the UK, we are now seeing cases of Type 2 diabetes – historically a condition to affect the over-40s – in children as young as seven.
"This situation was almost unheard of just 20 years ago and should act as the wake-up call for the new coalition government to urgently push through legislation to ban all junk food advertising aimed at children."
However, Ian Barber of the Advertising Association said there was little evidence that advertising was a main driving factor behind obesity. "Advertising might influence which brand you choose, but there is very little evidence that it drives consumption," he said.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: "Television advertising is reserved to Westminster, but the Scottish Government has introduced a range of measures to improve children's diets and encourage them to be more active."
http://news.scotsman.com/health/Call-for-junk-food-ads.6298171.jp
Lee Tuck Chong (10S25)
Showing posts with label Advertising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advertising. Show all posts
Advertisements and Censorship in China
Despite gaining the usual approval, the Pond's advertisement lasted only a week on Chinese TV screens.
To Western eyes, Unilever's Ogilvy-created TV commercial for Pond's didn't come across as offensive. Tastefully photographed, it featured a young and fully clothed actress extolling the virtues of the skincare brand.
Yet the ad was pulled within a week, as the featured actress, Tang Wei, was banned from all mainland Chinese media outlets. Is this a sign that advertising censorship in China is tightening?
Advertising in China is a huge business, with adspend figures that have jumped from $4.7 billion to $14.2 billion in seven years. Ads have to go through several stages of approval and, as representatives from Ogilvy insisted during the height of the Tang Wei furore, the agency had made sure that all hoops had been jumped through.
For an ad to be approved in China, agencies keep an open dialogue with the China Advertising Association(CAA). Purportedly a self-regulating body, the CAA can be more accurately described as a quasi-governmental consultative unit set up by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which retains the power to accept or decline ads. The CAA is known to have a pretty firm grasp of what the SAIC is likely to crack down on.
Another stage of approval exists at the level of TV stations: CCTV, the ironically named Chinese state TV channel, has right of approval or rejection of ads. While approval at regional level does not necessarily mean national CCTV approval, or vice versa, once it has been granted, it's not commonly withdrawn.
Unilever's attempt to establish Pond's as a high-end brand on the Chinese market saw a deal brokered with Tang Wei, one of the stars of Lust, Caution, as the focal point. Lust, Caution was heavily edited by Sarft, the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film and TV, when shown in Chinese cinemas, but was widely available on DVD. As Lust, Caution is Tang's only film to date, her image is closely aligned with that of her character.
The Unilever spot had been cleared with the usual government bodies but ran into trouble with Sarft. Even by Chinese standards, Sarft has a pretty nebulous remit. Its main purpose is to oversee state media, but it also censors material that might offend Chinese cultural standards and government.
Not everyone agrees that this is stifling advertising agencies' creativity in China.
"You've got to look at what you can do within the restrictions and get really creative with that," Donovan argues. Another China agency insider adds: "Sure, it's vague, but it means we can push the boundaries and see how far we can go - it's still easier than advertising in Europe when it comes to restrictions."
Whatever the impact on advertising creativity turns out to be, there's little doubt that the recent scandals have done nothing to stifle the power of advertising in China. "Ogilvy got everyone to talk about Pond's thanks to the Tang Wei scandal," David Wolfe, the Wolfe group Asia chief executive, points out.
Saradha,10S25
To Western eyes, Unilever's Ogilvy-created TV commercial for Pond's didn't come across as offensive. Tastefully photographed, it featured a young and fully clothed actress extolling the virtues of the skincare brand.
Yet the ad was pulled within a week, as the featured actress, Tang Wei, was banned from all mainland Chinese media outlets. Is this a sign that advertising censorship in China is tightening?
Advertising in China is a huge business, with adspend figures that have jumped from $4.7 billion to $14.2 billion in seven years. Ads have to go through several stages of approval and, as representatives from Ogilvy insisted during the height of the Tang Wei furore, the agency had made sure that all hoops had been jumped through.
For an ad to be approved in China, agencies keep an open dialogue with the China Advertising Association(CAA). Purportedly a self-regulating body, the CAA can be more accurately described as a quasi-governmental consultative unit set up by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which retains the power to accept or decline ads. The CAA is known to have a pretty firm grasp of what the SAIC is likely to crack down on.
Another stage of approval exists at the level of TV stations: CCTV, the ironically named Chinese state TV channel, has right of approval or rejection of ads. While approval at regional level does not necessarily mean national CCTV approval, or vice versa, once it has been granted, it's not commonly withdrawn.
Unilever's attempt to establish Pond's as a high-end brand on the Chinese market saw a deal brokered with Tang Wei, one of the stars of Lust, Caution, as the focal point. Lust, Caution was heavily edited by Sarft, the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film and TV, when shown in Chinese cinemas, but was widely available on DVD. As Lust, Caution is Tang's only film to date, her image is closely aligned with that of her character.
The Unilever spot had been cleared with the usual government bodies but ran into trouble with Sarft. Even by Chinese standards, Sarft has a pretty nebulous remit. Its main purpose is to oversee state media, but it also censors material that might offend Chinese cultural standards and government.
Not everyone agrees that this is stifling advertising agencies' creativity in China.
"You've got to look at what you can do within the restrictions and get really creative with that," Donovan argues. Another China agency insider adds: "Sure, it's vague, but it means we can push the boundaries and see how far we can go - it's still easier than advertising in Europe when it comes to restrictions."
Whatever the impact on advertising creativity turns out to be, there's little doubt that the recent scandals have done nothing to stifle the power of advertising in China. "Ogilvy got everyone to talk about Pond's thanks to the Tang Wei scandal," David Wolfe, the Wolfe group Asia chief executive, points out.
Saradha,10S25
Singapore Dreaming Trailer
Comments:
This is a trailer of a Singapore movie which stereotype of a typical life of a Singaporean. For example, the high expectation of the Singaporean parents of their children and Singapore being very small thus have little opportunities to thrive. Other that that, it shows that Singaporeans are very realistic and judge people by their 5C (watch the trailer). They also tend to neglect their relationships to pursue their financial goals.
10S08 Nur Ain, Angela, Mei Qing, Jun Khit and Ashwini
Comments:
This is a trailer of a Singapore movie which stereotype of a typical life of a Singaporean. For example, the high expectation of the Singaporean parents of their children and Singapore being very small thus have little opportunities to thrive. Other that that, it shows that Singaporeans are very realistic and judge people by their 5C (watch the trailer). They also tend to neglect their relationships to pursue their financial goals.
10S08 Nur Ain, Angela, Mei Qing, Jun Khit and Ashwini
Stereotypes in advertisements: Right or wrong?
Stereotypes in advertisements: Right or wrong?
2 Jun 2010
For decades advertising has pushed the envelope and has prodded at the precincts of what is acceptable and what is not, all in an attempt to get
noticed. And sometimes in the advertising melee there is no time for niceties. Ad jolts come in all forms, be it Calvin Klein’s sexually explicit billboards or shocking public service advertising calling for action against human trafficking or gruesome anti-tobacco warnings on cigarette packets or campaigns like the one for Sony Playstation titled ‘White Is Coming’ . Remember FCUK?
Now commercials currently running on television depicting a simpleton tribal chief in awe of a cold drink or the Kalahari Bushmen frantically searching for water in drought stricken lands might not be that brand of extreme. Nevertheless, they have attracted a fair amount of attention, for a medley of reasons. Some question whether the ads are offensive and dealing in negative stereotypes or are they attempts to break clutter by depicting a funny situation? Ad land seems to be split on their opinion with some condemning and equal numbers defending the ads.
Mahesh Chauhan, CEO, Redifussion YR says, “At times, one takes refuge in stereotypes, but then they become blind spots. In my opinion, quirkiness would have helped and would have had a far greater impact.” Others, however, have a different take and suggest the story of the commercial must be put in context. As Josy Paul, chairman, BBDO puts it, “Sprite has a strong differentiated platform — which is ‘seedhi baat’ ... Or cut the crap! It’s been built over a long time. It’s part of consumer lingo. So Sprite can afford to experiment and make the occasional mistake or hiccup!” he says. But, “I am not sure about LMN’s differentiation ? Only time will tell. Right now, the rationale looks like they just want to stand out of the clutter and have some fun.”
However, some believe the industry’s creative minds are stuck in a quagmire of stereotypes . Agnello Dias, cofounder , TapRoot, says, “Stereotypes are tools developed by the creative community to overcome hurdles or due to laziness.” Here’s an example , “If I have 45 seconds I can use three shots to build a man’s character as bad or jovial. If I have no time or production money I will simply have to plant a man with a scar on his face or show a happy sardar,” he says. However, people like Paul think Indian advertising has moved on a long time ago and the success of campaigns like SBI, Asian Paints, Idea, Vodafone and Tata Tea clearly reveals a nation that’s not stuck or dependent on stereotypes. Perhaps Ajay Gehlaut, group creative head, Oglivy Delhi, Sprite’s ad agency, put it best. He says, “There will always be a few who like the work and a few who don’t .
As long as people, the consumers, are engaged, entertained and not offended, there’s nothing wrong.” The makers of commercials, particularly the one that’s got people talking, say edgy work is often not appreciated and is labeled inaccurately . Creative LandAsia’s (makers of the LMN Bushmen series) Raj Kurup, says people who think using Bushmen in a TVC is a stereotype or shocking are ridiculously narrow-minded . “There’s nothing wrong in using a sardar, a blonde, an African Bushman, a mallu, if it is relevant. Let’s enjoy the joke, learn to laugh and celebrate edgy work.” Bobby Pawar, chief creative officer, DDB Mudra too is of the view that stereotypes are not all bad: “A lot of comedy is based on stereotypes. Most stand-up comedians use stereotypes as material. It all depends on whether it’s a lighthearted attempt or not.” Well, let’s hope the inhabitants of the Kalahari don’t find this watering hole.
(Sruthi Radhakrishnan & Delshad Irani,ET Bureau)
Mui Shan, Inez, Marvyn, Javier, Juz (10S08)
2 Jun 2010
For decades advertising has pushed the envelope and has prodded at the precincts of what is acceptable and what is not, all in an attempt to get
noticed. And sometimes in the advertising melee there is no time for niceties. Ad jolts come in all forms, be it Calvin Klein’s sexually explicit billboards or shocking public service advertising calling for action against human trafficking or gruesome anti-tobacco warnings on cigarette packets or campaigns like the one for Sony Playstation titled ‘White Is Coming’ . Remember FCUK?
Now commercials currently running on television depicting a simpleton tribal chief in awe of a cold drink or the Kalahari Bushmen frantically searching for water in drought stricken lands might not be that brand of extreme. Nevertheless, they have attracted a fair amount of attention, for a medley of reasons. Some question whether the ads are offensive and dealing in negative stereotypes or are they attempts to break clutter by depicting a funny situation? Ad land seems to be split on their opinion with some condemning and equal numbers defending the ads.
Mahesh Chauhan, CEO, Redifussion YR says, “At times, one takes refuge in stereotypes, but then they become blind spots. In my opinion, quirkiness would have helped and would have had a far greater impact.” Others, however, have a different take and suggest the story of the commercial must be put in context. As Josy Paul, chairman, BBDO puts it, “Sprite has a strong differentiated platform — which is ‘seedhi baat’ ... Or cut the crap! It’s been built over a long time. It’s part of consumer lingo. So Sprite can afford to experiment and make the occasional mistake or hiccup!” he says. But, “I am not sure about LMN’s differentiation ? Only time will tell. Right now, the rationale looks like they just want to stand out of the clutter and have some fun.”
However, some believe the industry’s creative minds are stuck in a quagmire of stereotypes . Agnello Dias, cofounder , TapRoot, says, “Stereotypes are tools developed by the creative community to overcome hurdles or due to laziness.” Here’s an example , “If I have 45 seconds I can use three shots to build a man’s character as bad or jovial. If I have no time or production money I will simply have to plant a man with a scar on his face or show a happy sardar,” he says. However, people like Paul think Indian advertising has moved on a long time ago and the success of campaigns like SBI, Asian Paints, Idea, Vodafone and Tata Tea clearly reveals a nation that’s not stuck or dependent on stereotypes. Perhaps Ajay Gehlaut, group creative head, Oglivy Delhi, Sprite’s ad agency, put it best. He says, “There will always be a few who like the work and a few who don’t .
As long as people, the consumers, are engaged, entertained and not offended, there’s nothing wrong.” The makers of commercials, particularly the one that’s got people talking, say edgy work is often not appreciated and is labeled inaccurately . Creative LandAsia’s (makers of the LMN Bushmen series) Raj Kurup, says people who think using Bushmen in a TVC is a stereotype or shocking are ridiculously narrow-minded . “There’s nothing wrong in using a sardar, a blonde, an African Bushman, a mallu, if it is relevant. Let’s enjoy the joke, learn to laugh and celebrate edgy work.” Bobby Pawar, chief creative officer, DDB Mudra too is of the view that stereotypes are not all bad: “A lot of comedy is based on stereotypes. Most stand-up comedians use stereotypes as material. It all depends on whether it’s a lighthearted attempt or not.” Well, let’s hope the inhabitants of the Kalahari don’t find this watering hole.
(Sruthi Radhakrishnan & Delshad Irani,ET Bureau)
Mui Shan, Inez, Marvyn, Javier, Juz (10S08)
Criticism in India over skin-whitening trend
In the advert, Miss Chopra uses the whitening cream to make herself more appealing Photo: REUTERS
The criticism over the advert for White Beauty cream echoes growing embarrassment amongst some Indians regarding the exalted status of skin-lightening products.
This stems from an established cultural belief that equates fairness with high caste status, good looks and eligibility for marriage.
"We are against the product," Brinda Karat, an MP and head of the All-India Democratic Women's Association, said.
"It is downright racist to denigrate dark skin," she added.
"Such products should be banned as they are not only chemically harmful but also perpetuate racism," college lecturer Neel Kamal Puri said of the cream made by Hindustan Lever Limited, one of India's largest consumer products manufacturers that is a part of Unilver, the London-based multinational.
The popular mini series whitening cream advert portrays heart-throb and Winchester College educated Saif Ali Khan preferring fair skinned starlet Nehan Dhupia over former love Priyanka Chopra, celebrated in Bollywood circles for her "dusky, wheatish complexion".
But a lovelorn and shunned Chopra turns desperately to White Beauty cream, hoping its application would make her fairer and more appealing to 41-year old Khan, India's hottest cinema hero today.
The dark actresses plight is shared by millions of Indians, both male and female, who are surprised when such skin whitening products are described as symptomatic of an unhealthy self-image.
Many such cream manufacturers are sponsors of cricket matches and celebrity events.
Similar advertisements, some withdrawn under pressure from activists, depict depressed dark-skinned women snubbed by employers and men, acquiring suitors and careers instantly once the cream had lightened their skin.
And, in tens of millions of classified matrimonial advertisements across India, a potential bride's fair skin is ranked far higher than a university degree or professional status.
Calling people "gora" or fair as milk or the moon is the ultimate compliment in India, especially in the south where people are ethnically darker than those in the north. A sun tan is highly avoided.
The criticism over the advert for White Beauty cream echoes growing embarrassment amongst some Indians regarding the exalted status of skin-lightening products.
This stems from an established cultural belief that equates fairness with high caste status, good looks and eligibility for marriage.
"We are against the product," Brinda Karat, an MP and head of the All-India Democratic Women's Association, said.
"It is downright racist to denigrate dark skin," she added.
"Such products should be banned as they are not only chemically harmful but also perpetuate racism," college lecturer Neel Kamal Puri said of the cream made by Hindustan Lever Limited, one of India's largest consumer products manufacturers that is a part of Unilver, the London-based multinational.
The popular mini series whitening cream advert portrays heart-throb and Winchester College educated Saif Ali Khan preferring fair skinned starlet Nehan Dhupia over former love Priyanka Chopra, celebrated in Bollywood circles for her "dusky, wheatish complexion".
But a lovelorn and shunned Chopra turns desperately to White Beauty cream, hoping its application would make her fairer and more appealing to 41-year old Khan, India's hottest cinema hero today.
The dark actresses plight is shared by millions of Indians, both male and female, who are surprised when such skin whitening products are described as symptomatic of an unhealthy self-image.
Many such cream manufacturers are sponsors of cricket matches and celebrity events.
Similar advertisements, some withdrawn under pressure from activists, depict depressed dark-skinned women snubbed by employers and men, acquiring suitors and careers instantly once the cream had lightened their skin.
And, in tens of millions of classified matrimonial advertisements across India, a potential bride's fair skin is ranked far higher than a university degree or professional status.
Calling people "gora" or fair as milk or the moon is the ultimate compliment in India, especially in the south where people are ethnically darker than those in the north. A sun tan is highly avoided.
Dell’s Della and stereotyping women
Dell’s latest marketing initiative, the creation of Della, a site selling netbooks to women had come in for some flak in the blogosphere. The reason: the site’s patronizing tone of voice and stereotyping women. On “Seven Unexpected Ways a Netbook Can Change Your Life,” its tips included, ‘Track your exercise and food intake at free online sites like Fitday,’ and ‘Find recipes online’. After a backlash, Dell revised the site, adding the message, ‘Some of you have read this article over the last several days & will notice a few modifications. You spoke, we listened. Thank you for your ongoing feedback.’ The “5 Ways to Use a Netbook” section now boasts that the product can help women get organized, read eBooks, track workouts, and is easy to take along when traveling.
Are we different in portraying women? Do our ads stereotype them? It’s not just in advertising – stereotypes are common in all entertainment. In Hindi movies, a South Indian always wears a white tilak across his forehead and speaks that terrible Hindi. A Sindhi is garish and money-minded and a Christian is a drunkard. In movies down South, North Indians are money lenders and any woman who smokes or drinks is a vamp.
Coming back to Dell, there is nothing in the offering that is hardwired to a woman’s specific need in computing. In any case, do women use Netbooks differently from men? Is it relevant to women simply because it comes in pink? Marketers do recognize that women play a huge role in purchase decisions, even outside the traditional household good products. Hero Honda recently appealed to women through their ‘Why should boys have all the fun?’ campaign for Hero Honda Pleasure. It did not talk down to women and made them feel good. The women-specific features on the bike may be frills, but it made them feel special. Sunsilk’s ‘Gang of Girls’ is an oft-quoted success. ICICI’s portrayal of the wife taking a lead in decisions relating to financial products is a significant shift in Indian advertising. Portrayal of women & stereotyping them is a topic worth a treatise and I will ramble on it some other time. It is not meant to be written hurriedly before leaving for work as I am doing now.
Are we different in portraying women? Do our ads stereotype them? It’s not just in advertising – stereotypes are common in all entertainment. In Hindi movies, a South Indian always wears a white tilak across his forehead and speaks that terrible Hindi. A Sindhi is garish and money-minded and a Christian is a drunkard. In movies down South, North Indians are money lenders and any woman who smokes or drinks is a vamp.
Coming back to Dell, there is nothing in the offering that is hardwired to a woman’s specific need in computing. In any case, do women use Netbooks differently from men? Is it relevant to women simply because it comes in pink? Marketers do recognize that women play a huge role in purchase decisions, even outside the traditional household good products. Hero Honda recently appealed to women through their ‘Why should boys have all the fun?’ campaign for Hero Honda Pleasure. It did not talk down to women and made them feel good. The women-specific features on the bike may be frills, but it made them feel special. Sunsilk’s ‘Gang of Girls’ is an oft-quoted success. ICICI’s portrayal of the wife taking a lead in decisions relating to financial products is a significant shift in Indian advertising. Portrayal of women & stereotyping them is a topic worth a treatise and I will ramble on it some other time. It is not meant to be written hurriedly before leaving for work as I am doing now.
skin-deep advertising
For long years, countless women have been outraged at the portrayal of women in Indian advertising in a way that leaves a lot to be desired. But the lone woman who has done painstaking research on the advertising industry's blatant attempt to reinforce gender stereotypes such as a girl child being a prospective mother, a woman as a sex object or an eye catcher, a woman as a homemaker, etc is Sharada J. Schaffter.
In her book, Privileging the Privileged - Gender in Indian Advertising, she attacks not only the stereotyping but also "the unethical and offensive representations of women in advertisements that work to their detriment" and perpetuate an undesirable gender hierarchy.
The author places her detailed analysis of individual ads — a whopping 2,000 — against the backdrop of Indian societal, cultural and religious norms that reinforce patriarchy and the inherent violence in Indian society against women, be it through bride burning, rape, or a number of other ways.
Charging that the media loves to concentrate on men... "their concerns, their activities, their achievements, their woes", she says that it generally disregards women and their interests and is hence "sexist". And with the media depending heavily on advertisements for revenue, it happily plays host to sexist ads.
Sharada has reviewed ads over a 12-year period from 1994 to 2005, but admits that the majority of the ads are from the 1990s, and her critical analysis raises some crucial questions that have troubled not only women but also social scientists cutting across gender. Unsparing in her observations, the author asks: "Does a woman need to be always tall and slim, young and light-skinned with silken skin and mop of gloriously shining hair? Is all this calculated to catch a man, and once she has caught him, to spend the rest of her life preparing mouthwatering dishes and washing his shirts until they outshine the sun — of course with a man (the voice in the ad) telling her what detergent to use — as ads persuade us to believe?"
She points out the dangerous repercussions of sexist advertisements in a "caste-conscious, tradition-bound, superstitious, feudal and intensely patriarchal Indian society. She maintains that while there is nothing demeaning in a woman being represented as a homemaker, "the profusion of such ads gives birth to an ideology" which implies that women should be primarily homemakers, and nothing more.
The author comes down particularly heavily on ads that turn "women into commodities that please men" and project "women's images as male-defined" as against "individuals of inherent worth".
Some of the pertinent questions she raises include:
* Do advertisers turn women into commodities that please men, or do they portray them as human beings conscious of their own worth?
* Are women shown preponderantly serving others or as pursuing profitable careers?
* Are they shown as objects of men's fancy, relying on their largesse, or as persons of value, capable of managing their own lives?
* Are they shown silly, stupid and mindless, or are they portrayed intelligent, strong and assertive, capable of successfully undertaking responsibilities and contributing to productivity in society?
* Are women shown fanatical about cleanliness around the house?
She also questions the need to irrelevantly divide the woman's body into segments — lips, arms, legs, etc. and represent her as an inveterate, irrational shopper. While on the subject of advertisements for beauty pageants and supermodel shows, Sharada is at her sparkling best. Commenting on how the "fame and fortune" attached to such contests brings parents of aspiring beauties into the act, she recalls how when Sushmita Sen won the Miss Universe contest in the 1990s, it was written of her: "The winner does not need just a beautiful face, it's the mind that matters most." Adds the author, "But what she entered was not an intelligence contest, but a beauty contest. One of the requirements was to parade before the judges in a swimsuit."
Quoting the experience of Nelia Sancho, a former beauty queen of the Pacific from the Philippines, Sharada points out how the woman was expected to only smile and look pretty at an event. "When after the preliminary greetings nobody tried to have any sort of intelligent conversation with her, she realised that she was only a pretty object beautifying a room."
Raising another major concern of our times, the author says the association of "beauty (read desirability) with women is so strong that society tends to look at an ugly woman almost with abhorrence." While male ugliness can be overcome, female ugliness becomes the ultimate shortcoming; the booming of an entire personal care products and cosmetic industry is heavily dependent on the surmise that a woman has to be beautiful to be accepted, and hence the proliferation and immense success of beauty parlours.
The author acknowledges at the outset that over the years it took to write and publish the book "there have been changes in advertising. Men are now shown doing domestic chores on TV" and both boys and girls are shown plugging for education and more equal opportunities. "But there is still a long way to go."
What is striking about this effort is the meticulous dissection and analysis of advertisements, some of them serial ads, such as those of mobile telephone companies, where both men and women are shown as the consumers; but the subtle, unstated discrimination is that while the man is seen as one who works hard for a living, the suggestion is that the woman is a compulsive shopper and hence adept at going through long bills!
In the concluding chapter, Sharada presents a new code of ethics, challenging advertisers to re-examine their notions of gender in order to uphold women's inviolable right to be treated with respect and dignity.
But is anybody listening?
An excellent read, particularly for the younger generation, especially those who are getting into advertising. For what better hope can there be for the industry than a sensitised mind?
In her book, Privileging the Privileged - Gender in Indian Advertising, she attacks not only the stereotyping but also "the unethical and offensive representations of women in advertisements that work to their detriment" and perpetuate an undesirable gender hierarchy.
The author places her detailed analysis of individual ads — a whopping 2,000 — against the backdrop of Indian societal, cultural and religious norms that reinforce patriarchy and the inherent violence in Indian society against women, be it through bride burning, rape, or a number of other ways.
Charging that the media loves to concentrate on men... "their concerns, their activities, their achievements, their woes", she says that it generally disregards women and their interests and is hence "sexist". And with the media depending heavily on advertisements for revenue, it happily plays host to sexist ads.
Sharada has reviewed ads over a 12-year period from 1994 to 2005, but admits that the majority of the ads are from the 1990s, and her critical analysis raises some crucial questions that have troubled not only women but also social scientists cutting across gender. Unsparing in her observations, the author asks: "Does a woman need to be always tall and slim, young and light-skinned with silken skin and mop of gloriously shining hair? Is all this calculated to catch a man, and once she has caught him, to spend the rest of her life preparing mouthwatering dishes and washing his shirts until they outshine the sun — of course with a man (the voice in the ad) telling her what detergent to use — as ads persuade us to believe?"
She points out the dangerous repercussions of sexist advertisements in a "caste-conscious, tradition-bound, superstitious, feudal and intensely patriarchal Indian society. She maintains that while there is nothing demeaning in a woman being represented as a homemaker, "the profusion of such ads gives birth to an ideology" which implies that women should be primarily homemakers, and nothing more.
The author comes down particularly heavily on ads that turn "women into commodities that please men" and project "women's images as male-defined" as against "individuals of inherent worth".
Some of the pertinent questions she raises include:
* Do advertisers turn women into commodities that please men, or do they portray them as human beings conscious of their own worth?
* Are women shown preponderantly serving others or as pursuing profitable careers?
* Are they shown as objects of men's fancy, relying on their largesse, or as persons of value, capable of managing their own lives?
* Are they shown silly, stupid and mindless, or are they portrayed intelligent, strong and assertive, capable of successfully undertaking responsibilities and contributing to productivity in society?
* Are women shown fanatical about cleanliness around the house?
She also questions the need to irrelevantly divide the woman's body into segments — lips, arms, legs, etc. and represent her as an inveterate, irrational shopper. While on the subject of advertisements for beauty pageants and supermodel shows, Sharada is at her sparkling best. Commenting on how the "fame and fortune" attached to such contests brings parents of aspiring beauties into the act, she recalls how when Sushmita Sen won the Miss Universe contest in the 1990s, it was written of her: "The winner does not need just a beautiful face, it's the mind that matters most." Adds the author, "But what she entered was not an intelligence contest, but a beauty contest. One of the requirements was to parade before the judges in a swimsuit."
Quoting the experience of Nelia Sancho, a former beauty queen of the Pacific from the Philippines, Sharada points out how the woman was expected to only smile and look pretty at an event. "When after the preliminary greetings nobody tried to have any sort of intelligent conversation with her, she realised that she was only a pretty object beautifying a room."
Raising another major concern of our times, the author says the association of "beauty (read desirability) with women is so strong that society tends to look at an ugly woman almost with abhorrence." While male ugliness can be overcome, female ugliness becomes the ultimate shortcoming; the booming of an entire personal care products and cosmetic industry is heavily dependent on the surmise that a woman has to be beautiful to be accepted, and hence the proliferation and immense success of beauty parlours.
The author acknowledges at the outset that over the years it took to write and publish the book "there have been changes in advertising. Men are now shown doing domestic chores on TV" and both boys and girls are shown plugging for education and more equal opportunities. "But there is still a long way to go."
What is striking about this effort is the meticulous dissection and analysis of advertisements, some of them serial ads, such as those of mobile telephone companies, where both men and women are shown as the consumers; but the subtle, unstated discrimination is that while the man is seen as one who works hard for a living, the suggestion is that the woman is a compulsive shopper and hence adept at going through long bills!
In the concluding chapter, Sharada presents a new code of ethics, challenging advertisers to re-examine their notions of gender in order to uphold women's inviolable right to be treated with respect and dignity.
But is anybody listening?
An excellent read, particularly for the younger generation, especially those who are getting into advertising. For what better hope can there be for the industry than a sensitised mind?
ADS ARE SPREADING WRONG MESSAGE ABOUT PILLS: EXPERTS
Is it the fast lifestyle that forces working women to avoid unwanted pregnancies instantly by using emergency contraceptives or the catchy advertisements showing the “Easy” way to adolescent girls?
Healthcare providers attribute the rapid spread of the pills to both. The advertisements do not explain the ill–effects of these pills, instead they wrongly promote them as regular contraceptives. They must include the opinion of doctors and statutory warnings regarding side–effects, say health professionals. Gynaecologists firmly recommend the use of regular contraceptive measures. “The government should ban the advertisements and the pills should not be available over the counter for off label use,” urged gynaecologist Dr. Sunita Tanulawadkar.
Commenting on the objectionable presentation of the ads, IVF consultant at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Dr. Anand Shinde said, “In one of the ads, an unmarried girl calls up her mother at midnight and the mother casually advises her to take emergency pills.. She doesn’t care about educating or guiding her daughter about sexual health and hygiene.”
Is a social situation like this becoming so common that the central government has to make these pills available over the counter (OTC)? Dr Shinde noted, “The ads are spreading the wrong message of bypassing the gynaecologists. Especially in metro cities like Mumbai and Pune, which are the hot spots of HIV/AIDS, it will be a double risk to promote such ads.”
Arati (name changed), a 29–year old woman, tried the pill once, only to regret later. “I was under the impression that it was the easiest way, but I suffered badly from abdominal pains and vomiting after a few hours,” she said, offering her advice that the pills should not be used without first consulting a gynaecologist.
Reacting on the emerging trend of widespread use of these pills among teenage girls, a college going girl Smita said, “Due to freedom, the youngsters may feel nothing wrong in having sex followed by these pills, available readily.”
Objecting to the advertisements showing young couple ‘Tension free’ after sex, Vibhavari Deshmukh (name changed) said that the ads are too obscene to watch at home along with family and children.
The assistant commissioner of Food and Drug Administration, Pune, S T Patil agrees with the opinion of the experts and suggests filing a Public Interest Litigation against the ads.
Healthcare providers attribute the rapid spread of the pills to both. The advertisements do not explain the ill–effects of these pills, instead they wrongly promote them as regular contraceptives. They must include the opinion of doctors and statutory warnings regarding side–effects, say health professionals. Gynaecologists firmly recommend the use of regular contraceptive measures. “The government should ban the advertisements and the pills should not be available over the counter for off label use,” urged gynaecologist Dr. Sunita Tanulawadkar.
Commenting on the objectionable presentation of the ads, IVF consultant at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Dr. Anand Shinde said, “In one of the ads, an unmarried girl calls up her mother at midnight and the mother casually advises her to take emergency pills.. She doesn’t care about educating or guiding her daughter about sexual health and hygiene.”
Is a social situation like this becoming so common that the central government has to make these pills available over the counter (OTC)? Dr Shinde noted, “The ads are spreading the wrong message of bypassing the gynaecologists. Especially in metro cities like Mumbai and Pune, which are the hot spots of HIV/AIDS, it will be a double risk to promote such ads.”
Arati (name changed), a 29–year old woman, tried the pill once, only to regret later. “I was under the impression that it was the easiest way, but I suffered badly from abdominal pains and vomiting after a few hours,” she said, offering her advice that the pills should not be used without first consulting a gynaecologist.
Reacting on the emerging trend of widespread use of these pills among teenage girls, a college going girl Smita said, “Due to freedom, the youngsters may feel nothing wrong in having sex followed by these pills, available readily.”
Objecting to the advertisements showing young couple ‘Tension free’ after sex, Vibhavari Deshmukh (name changed) said that the ads are too obscene to watch at home along with family and children.
The assistant commissioner of Food and Drug Administration, Pune, S T Patil agrees with the opinion of the experts and suggests filing a Public Interest Litigation against the ads.
INDIA’S WICKET-keeper batsman and captain of ODI and Twenty20 team, Mahinder Singh Dhoni is presently being dangerously showcased on some television channels, uprooting and taking away a letterbox after consuming a particular biscuit that supposedly boosts his energy to do this ‘unlawful’ act.
Definitely unlawful if one goes by Indian Telegraph Act. Damaging any means/part or agency of communication, including a letterbox, is a crime and punishable under various sections of this Act. But Dhoni with some children around him, who also consume the ‘miraculous’ diet, does it. He does it publicly and has no remorse while dismantling the red letterbox in this vague and ill-conceived advertisement.
It is a different question that in an era of e-mails and SMSs, even if letter writing is not common among the elite, it doesn’t mean that letterboxes have no place and public figures like Dhoni can be shown damaging the public property with impunity? Indulging in such an irresponsible act with a false sense of bravado creates an unwanted stereotype.
Such misleading advertisements have a negative impact, especially in the rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir, where children have reportedly started attacking the letterboxes in Dhoni style, only to damage their own legs and hands. Situation elsewhere in the country may not be different.
Was there nobody to whet the script when Dhoni acted in this advertisement? Why has the protagonist in the advertisement shown to be bestowed with a license to eliminate this enduring symbol in ‘terminator’ series style?
Isn’t there any monitoring body in India to point out flaws in such advertisements or has the national conscience accepted this? It may be glamorous on the surface but it is creating havoc with the public property and the psyche of children who find their power inadequate to perform the feats a la Dhoni, their hero.
Now let us take another advertisement, though popular, but full of implications.
Two children are standing on the two sides of a border. One child invites the other for a game of soccer by pushing the football into other side. The child is lured, crosses the border, but is caught up by the pincer of the barbered wire. The child on the other side of the border rescues the one caught by the hook and speaks in some language, alien to this writer and possibly to others in this part of the world. The ambience is striking, that is, somewhere in Kashmir or possibly somewhere in the northern sector. A very touching advertisement indeed, poignantly portraying the human condition, especially in third-world countries (read India and Pakistan) but fraught with dangers for India.
The child cries something like this: "VALE YOURKUN… VALE YOURKUN…"(Meaning come here, come here, in Kashmiri). The message is conveyed that boundaries are irrelevant when people speak through a particular network. So far so good! But since India cannot expect reciprocity, doesn’t the advertisement involve breach of national security by inviting unsuspecting children to fall into booby-traps and land mines?
Isn’t this advertisement too misleading and needlessly adventurous, when teenagers are shown on the border and one even crossing it, while risking his life?
In a border state like Jammu and Kashmir, such advertisements will definitely have a negative impact. If one goes by the instances in the past, it gets revealed that when children, particularly teenagers inadvertently crossed borders, they had to undergo the trauma of having been caught and tortured by the security agencies in both countries.
Such advertisements will encourage those who love adventure and at the same time want to talk to their relatives on the other side of the border. Do they just need to kick a football, as is shown in the high-profile advertisement?
But will such kicks on the border help the individuals in linking the hearts through this network? The fact being that there is no provision for cellphone service in border areas. Those who claim to have such facility on the borders are then definitely inviting trouble… Nothing misleading about it!
Public memory may be short but the fact that SHAKTIMAAN was instrumental in eliminating precious lives of scores of children who, in a bid to copy him, jumped over rooftops, allowing the electric current to pass through them and indulged in other impractical acts. The present advertisements as discussed here, it is hoped, may not be the basis for such idiosyncrasies.
Definitely unlawful if one goes by Indian Telegraph Act. Damaging any means/part or agency of communication, including a letterbox, is a crime and punishable under various sections of this Act. But Dhoni with some children around him, who also consume the ‘miraculous’ diet, does it. He does it publicly and has no remorse while dismantling the red letterbox in this vague and ill-conceived advertisement.
It is a different question that in an era of e-mails and SMSs, even if letter writing is not common among the elite, it doesn’t mean that letterboxes have no place and public figures like Dhoni can be shown damaging the public property with impunity? Indulging in such an irresponsible act with a false sense of bravado creates an unwanted stereotype.
Such misleading advertisements have a negative impact, especially in the rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir, where children have reportedly started attacking the letterboxes in Dhoni style, only to damage their own legs and hands. Situation elsewhere in the country may not be different.
Was there nobody to whet the script when Dhoni acted in this advertisement? Why has the protagonist in the advertisement shown to be bestowed with a license to eliminate this enduring symbol in ‘terminator’ series style?
Isn’t there any monitoring body in India to point out flaws in such advertisements or has the national conscience accepted this? It may be glamorous on the surface but it is creating havoc with the public property and the psyche of children who find their power inadequate to perform the feats a la Dhoni, their hero.
Now let us take another advertisement, though popular, but full of implications.
Two children are standing on the two sides of a border. One child invites the other for a game of soccer by pushing the football into other side. The child is lured, crosses the border, but is caught up by the pincer of the barbered wire. The child on the other side of the border rescues the one caught by the hook and speaks in some language, alien to this writer and possibly to others in this part of the world. The ambience is striking, that is, somewhere in Kashmir or possibly somewhere in the northern sector. A very touching advertisement indeed, poignantly portraying the human condition, especially in third-world countries (read India and Pakistan) but fraught with dangers for India.
The child cries something like this: "VALE YOURKUN… VALE YOURKUN…"(Meaning come here, come here, in Kashmiri). The message is conveyed that boundaries are irrelevant when people speak through a particular network. So far so good! But since India cannot expect reciprocity, doesn’t the advertisement involve breach of national security by inviting unsuspecting children to fall into booby-traps and land mines?
Isn’t this advertisement too misleading and needlessly adventurous, when teenagers are shown on the border and one even crossing it, while risking his life?
In a border state like Jammu and Kashmir, such advertisements will definitely have a negative impact. If one goes by the instances in the past, it gets revealed that when children, particularly teenagers inadvertently crossed borders, they had to undergo the trauma of having been caught and tortured by the security agencies in both countries.
Such advertisements will encourage those who love adventure and at the same time want to talk to their relatives on the other side of the border. Do they just need to kick a football, as is shown in the high-profile advertisement?
But will such kicks on the border help the individuals in linking the hearts through this network? The fact being that there is no provision for cellphone service in border areas. Those who claim to have such facility on the borders are then definitely inviting trouble… Nothing misleading about it!
Public memory may be short but the fact that SHAKTIMAAN was instrumental in eliminating precious lives of scores of children who, in a bid to copy him, jumped over rooftops, allowing the electric current to pass through them and indulged in other impractical acts. The present advertisements as discussed here, it is hoped, may not be the basis for such idiosyncrasies.
Surrogate advertising — Needed, a spirited attack
In India, the trend of surrogate advertisement gathered momentum with the Cable TV Network Regulation Act, which prohibits tobacco and liquor advertisements on TV channels. The liquor industry has intentionally blurred the line between products, advertising `old wine' in a `new bottle,' only this time with a soft-drink label.
"HUM, tum or mera Bagpiper". This Bagpiper club soda advertisement, featuring cine celebrities, is similar to the earlier one for Bagpiper whisky.
The advertisement comes with the same music and punch line as the one for the popular liquor brand telecast before the ban on liquor advertisements.
This phenomenon, known as "surrogate advertising" (duplicating the brand image of one product extensively to promote another product of the same brand), has become commonplace.
Surrogate advertisements took off not long ago in the UK, where British housewives protested strongly against liquor advertisements "luring" away their husbands. The liquor industry found a way around the ban: Surrogate advertisements for cocktail mixers, fruit juices and soda water using the brand names of the popular liquors.
In India, the trend of surrogate advertisement gathered momentum with the Cable TV Network Regulation Act, which prohibits tobacco and liquor advertisements on TV channels. The liquor industry has intentionally blurred the line between products, advertising `old wine' in a `new bottle,' only this time with a soft-drink label.
A market survey in 2001 revealed that advertising has a direct influence on the consumption habits of 431 million people in India and an indirect impact on 275 million `aspirants' from the lower income group. Considering this and realising that nearly 50 per cent of the television owners have access to cable channels, there is no doubt that the hidden call for alcohol consumption behind the surrogate advertisements is not escaping the eyes of viewers in the world's fourth highest liquor-consuming country. The very purpose of banning liquor advertisements is defeated by surrogate advertising.
Sociological studies have shown that, in India, a significant share of income of a large section of the population is spent on liquor, potentially leading to financial distress and health hazards. According to the International Wine and Spirit Board, a liquor industry publication, there will be a jump in the number of people reaching the legal drinking age of 25 within the next few years. The implication is that the problem is going to grow.
The motivations of firms look even more suspect when they advertise products that cannot be bought. In 2002, for example, Jagatjit Industries, the maker of Aristrocrat Whisky, advertised a product called `Aristrocrat Apple Juice.' The company reportedly confirmed availability of the fruit juice in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, yet, no reputed shop in Delhi had ever seen it, let alone sell it.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has started to take on the surrogate liquor advertisements. In a recent board meeting, the IBF decided that Jagatjit Industries and other liquor manufacturing units must get production of the advertisement approved both at the `storyboard stage' and after the production of the commercial.
It also ruled that that if liquor companies promote any juice, mineral water or soda, these should be shown in a proper manner and not as trimmings to liquor advertisement.
These are welcome steps, but the key point lies in enforcement. If, in a free society, producers have a legitimate right to let consumers know about their products through advertisements, consumers have the right to information in adverts that are clear and honest.
Surrogate advertisements are not only misleading, but also false and dishonest in many cases. With surrogate advertising so widespread, this is the moment to tackle the problem head-on.
There should be stringent regulatory measures to curb the practice, such as:
i) making transparent laws banning surrogate advertisements for different products under a single brand names, by amending the Trade Marks Act, for instance;
ii) providing teeth to the Advertising Standards Council of India to enable it take action against false and misleading advertisements, and keep a close vigil over clever evasion of the law;
iii) asking the electronic and print media to adhere to the advertisement codes and not encourage surrogate advertisements;
iv) calling on the ASCI address complaints received from consumers against surrogate advertisements and take appropriate actions immediately;
v) creating a consumer awareness programme to help people understand the negative impact of surrogate advertisements;
vi) adopting strict laws to penalise those companies featuring surrogate advertisements without any real existence of the product; and
vii) requiring advertising agencies to have full knowledge of the products under the same brand for which they are promoting advertisements, and taking legal actions against those agencies which design surrogate advertisements.
If one believes that honesty is the best policy and truth ultimately gains, the best policy would be to stand up strongly to the dishonest practices of surrogate advertising.
(The author is Secretary-General of the Jaipur-based CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics and Environment, an NGO working on trade and economic issues at national and international levels, and can be reached at cuts@cuts.org.)
"HUM, tum or mera Bagpiper". This Bagpiper club soda advertisement, featuring cine celebrities, is similar to the earlier one for Bagpiper whisky.
The advertisement comes with the same music and punch line as the one for the popular liquor brand telecast before the ban on liquor advertisements.
This phenomenon, known as "surrogate advertising" (duplicating the brand image of one product extensively to promote another product of the same brand), has become commonplace.
Surrogate advertisements took off not long ago in the UK, where British housewives protested strongly against liquor advertisements "luring" away their husbands. The liquor industry found a way around the ban: Surrogate advertisements for cocktail mixers, fruit juices and soda water using the brand names of the popular liquors.
In India, the trend of surrogate advertisement gathered momentum with the Cable TV Network Regulation Act, which prohibits tobacco and liquor advertisements on TV channels. The liquor industry has intentionally blurred the line between products, advertising `old wine' in a `new bottle,' only this time with a soft-drink label.
A market survey in 2001 revealed that advertising has a direct influence on the consumption habits of 431 million people in India and an indirect impact on 275 million `aspirants' from the lower income group. Considering this and realising that nearly 50 per cent of the television owners have access to cable channels, there is no doubt that the hidden call for alcohol consumption behind the surrogate advertisements is not escaping the eyes of viewers in the world's fourth highest liquor-consuming country. The very purpose of banning liquor advertisements is defeated by surrogate advertising.
Sociological studies have shown that, in India, a significant share of income of a large section of the population is spent on liquor, potentially leading to financial distress and health hazards. According to the International Wine and Spirit Board, a liquor industry publication, there will be a jump in the number of people reaching the legal drinking age of 25 within the next few years. The implication is that the problem is going to grow.
The motivations of firms look even more suspect when they advertise products that cannot be bought. In 2002, for example, Jagatjit Industries, the maker of Aristrocrat Whisky, advertised a product called `Aristrocrat Apple Juice.' The company reportedly confirmed availability of the fruit juice in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, yet, no reputed shop in Delhi had ever seen it, let alone sell it.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has started to take on the surrogate liquor advertisements. In a recent board meeting, the IBF decided that Jagatjit Industries and other liquor manufacturing units must get production of the advertisement approved both at the `storyboard stage' and after the production of the commercial.
It also ruled that that if liquor companies promote any juice, mineral water or soda, these should be shown in a proper manner and not as trimmings to liquor advertisement.
These are welcome steps, but the key point lies in enforcement. If, in a free society, producers have a legitimate right to let consumers know about their products through advertisements, consumers have the right to information in adverts that are clear and honest.
Surrogate advertisements are not only misleading, but also false and dishonest in many cases. With surrogate advertising so widespread, this is the moment to tackle the problem head-on.
There should be stringent regulatory measures to curb the practice, such as:
i) making transparent laws banning surrogate advertisements for different products under a single brand names, by amending the Trade Marks Act, for instance;
ii) providing teeth to the Advertising Standards Council of India to enable it take action against false and misleading advertisements, and keep a close vigil over clever evasion of the law;
iii) asking the electronic and print media to adhere to the advertisement codes and not encourage surrogate advertisements;
iv) calling on the ASCI address complaints received from consumers against surrogate advertisements and take appropriate actions immediately;
v) creating a consumer awareness programme to help people understand the negative impact of surrogate advertisements;
vi) adopting strict laws to penalise those companies featuring surrogate advertisements without any real existence of the product; and
vii) requiring advertising agencies to have full knowledge of the products under the same brand for which they are promoting advertisements, and taking legal actions against those agencies which design surrogate advertisements.
If one believes that honesty is the best policy and truth ultimately gains, the best policy would be to stand up strongly to the dishonest practices of surrogate advertising.
(The author is Secretary-General of the Jaipur-based CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics and Environment, an NGO working on trade and economic issues at national and international levels, and can be reached at cuts@cuts.org.)
One of Bollywood's biggest film stars is being criticised by Asian campaigners for promoting a skin-lightening cream
The 40-second advertisement from India starts like so many others promoting razors or hair dye - but it's an ad with a very big difference.
There's a man who has no luck with the girls. He has markedly darker skin than his friends and the girl he is after. In a real song-and-dance Bollywood extravaganza, one of the biggest heart throbs of Indian cinema, Shahrukh Khan, hands over a cream to the hapless chap, along with some mild admonishment.
Within a few weeks, the young man has turned much lighter-skinned and confident. As he strides down the road like a modern-day answer to John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, the girls start flocking to him and chanting: "Hi handsome, hi handsome." Khan comes back into view with the product, Fair and Handsome.
The skin-lightening cream for men, along with its more feminine counterparts, has found its way into Asian supermarkets and stores in the UK.
While Khan's advert has not been shown yet in the UK, it too has made its way to British consumers via YouTube. And the product's success or failure in the British market place may say something about the nature of beauty and the politics of race.
Kiran Kaur - a Sikh human rights activist in west London, one of the epicentres of Asian cultural life in the UK - says the arrival of Fair and Handsome, with a Bollywood name in tow, is a step back in time.
'Age-old prejudices'
"The ad simply reinforces the idea that you've got to be fair to be anything in life," says Kiran. "It says that if you're fair and good looking, you'll be a wonderful daughter-in-law or husband, your skin colour determines how successful you'll be in life. The ad reinforces age-old prejudices."
The skin-lightening industry is worth at least £100m in India and the Fair-and-Handsome-for-Men range is the latest product from one of the market's big players.
Manufacturers say they are responding to a demand, but in recent years protests in India have seen at least one advert taken off air. Other lightening products targeted at black women have been on sale for years, some of them containing chemicals banned for years from British goods.
Actress Rani Moorthy knows first hand about the prejudice suffered by Asians with darker skin. She is currently touring the UK with her play that focuses on skin colour, Shades of Brown.
"When I was a child my grandmother took me to one side and said make sure you're good at something, no man will ever marry you for your looks," she says.
"I knew this was because I was dark skinned. It was treated as a disease and every Friday I had to have oil baths in an attempt to lighten my skin".
'A huge star'
She feels a major Bollywood star backing a skin-lightening cream will intensify the prejudice that already exists within the South Asian community, in which the darker skinned can find themselves looked down upon - just as it still happens in parts of India today.
"Deep within this 5,000-year-old culture is the thought that high ideals, nobility and high caste are associated with fair skin," she says. "Dark skin is regarded as low status and low caste."
But what chance do voices like Rani's stand against the screen presence of Shahrukh Khan? Perhaps the best measure of Khan's influence on British Asians is to look at the success of his films.
Dil Se, released in 1998, was the first Bollywood movie to make it into the British box office Top 10.
The film's key clips, including an exhilarating dance upon a moving train, have totted up more than one million hits on YouTube. Khan, a big enough brand to be known just as SRK, is the equivalent of Tom Cruise - and then some.
His Fair-and-Handsome advert won't be missed by British Asians as they follow every Bollywood move, says Sunny Hundal, the editor of Asians in Media, a website that charts the rise of British Asian culture.
'Immoral'
"Shahrukh Khan is a huge star in India and his endorsement will no doubt raise the profile of this product," he says. "Impressionable young men will get the idea that if they want to be attractive like him, they should also use it."
"The cult of media personality, especially cricket or Bollywood stars, is a much bigger phenomena in India and so brands are much more partial to celebrity endorsements.
"But what SRK is essentially doing is confirming and promoting the condescending attitude that many Indians have towards dark-coloured skin. His endorsement is completely immoral."
Neither the manufacturers nor a spokesman for Khan would comment on his involvement in the campaign.
But Manish Shah, a distributor for Fair and Handsome says skin lightening creams are very important because "everybody wants to look really good".
"They're not bad for the skin," he says. "If people have an inferiority complex because of their skin colour, then this product will really help. It does what it says. It makes you fair and handsome. There's a lot of interest in this product and quite simply it makes people look really good."
There's a man who has no luck with the girls. He has markedly darker skin than his friends and the girl he is after. In a real song-and-dance Bollywood extravaganza, one of the biggest heart throbs of Indian cinema, Shahrukh Khan, hands over a cream to the hapless chap, along with some mild admonishment.
Within a few weeks, the young man has turned much lighter-skinned and confident. As he strides down the road like a modern-day answer to John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, the girls start flocking to him and chanting: "Hi handsome, hi handsome." Khan comes back into view with the product, Fair and Handsome.
The skin-lightening cream for men, along with its more feminine counterparts, has found its way into Asian supermarkets and stores in the UK.
While Khan's advert has not been shown yet in the UK, it too has made its way to British consumers via YouTube. And the product's success or failure in the British market place may say something about the nature of beauty and the politics of race.
Kiran Kaur - a Sikh human rights activist in west London, one of the epicentres of Asian cultural life in the UK - says the arrival of Fair and Handsome, with a Bollywood name in tow, is a step back in time.
'Age-old prejudices'
"The ad simply reinforces the idea that you've got to be fair to be anything in life," says Kiran. "It says that if you're fair and good looking, you'll be a wonderful daughter-in-law or husband, your skin colour determines how successful you'll be in life. The ad reinforces age-old prejudices."
The skin-lightening industry is worth at least £100m in India and the Fair-and-Handsome-for-Men range is the latest product from one of the market's big players.
Manufacturers say they are responding to a demand, but in recent years protests in India have seen at least one advert taken off air. Other lightening products targeted at black women have been on sale for years, some of them containing chemicals banned for years from British goods.
Actress Rani Moorthy knows first hand about the prejudice suffered by Asians with darker skin. She is currently touring the UK with her play that focuses on skin colour, Shades of Brown.
"When I was a child my grandmother took me to one side and said make sure you're good at something, no man will ever marry you for your looks," she says.
"I knew this was because I was dark skinned. It was treated as a disease and every Friday I had to have oil baths in an attempt to lighten my skin".
'A huge star'
She feels a major Bollywood star backing a skin-lightening cream will intensify the prejudice that already exists within the South Asian community, in which the darker skinned can find themselves looked down upon - just as it still happens in parts of India today.
"Deep within this 5,000-year-old culture is the thought that high ideals, nobility and high caste are associated with fair skin," she says. "Dark skin is regarded as low status and low caste."
But what chance do voices like Rani's stand against the screen presence of Shahrukh Khan? Perhaps the best measure of Khan's influence on British Asians is to look at the success of his films.
Dil Se, released in 1998, was the first Bollywood movie to make it into the British box office Top 10.
The film's key clips, including an exhilarating dance upon a moving train, have totted up more than one million hits on YouTube. Khan, a big enough brand to be known just as SRK, is the equivalent of Tom Cruise - and then some.
His Fair-and-Handsome advert won't be missed by British Asians as they follow every Bollywood move, says Sunny Hundal, the editor of Asians in Media, a website that charts the rise of British Asian culture.
'Immoral'
"Shahrukh Khan is a huge star in India and his endorsement will no doubt raise the profile of this product," he says. "Impressionable young men will get the idea that if they want to be attractive like him, they should also use it."
"The cult of media personality, especially cricket or Bollywood stars, is a much bigger phenomena in India and so brands are much more partial to celebrity endorsements.
"But what SRK is essentially doing is confirming and promoting the condescending attitude that many Indians have towards dark-coloured skin. His endorsement is completely immoral."
Neither the manufacturers nor a spokesman for Khan would comment on his involvement in the campaign.
But Manish Shah, a distributor for Fair and Handsome says skin lightening creams are very important because "everybody wants to look really good".
"They're not bad for the skin," he says. "If people have an inferiority complex because of their skin colour, then this product will really help. It does what it says. It makes you fair and handsome. There's a lot of interest in this product and quite simply it makes people look really good."
Medical Council of India Draws Public Attention on Misleading Acts
Recently it has been observed that certain entities have issued misleading advertisements for luring innocent Indian Students for admissions in MBBS from foreign universities. It is also mentioned in such advertisements that ‘recognition of degree by MCI would be in accordance with MCI Act 13 (4B) through screening test’. It has also been mentioned that the degrees will be offered by the foreign universities with study partly in India and partly in foreign universities.
Attention of the public is drawn that MCI has not permitted any foreign university to establish a campus in India for imparting medical education. No foreign university has been permitted by the MCI to start medical course leading to degree equivalent to MBBS in India or to establish such a campus in India. These medical degrees are not approved by the MCI.
Attention of the public is drawn that MCI has not permitted any foreign university to establish a campus in India for imparting medical education. No foreign university has been permitted by the MCI to start medical course leading to degree equivalent to MBBS in India or to establish such a campus in India. These medical degrees are not approved by the MCI.
Supreme Courts Raps PSG Developers, Seventh Heaven, Vian, etc. Of Misleading Advertisements
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Centre, all states and Union Territories in the country on a PIL seeking directions to the government that all builders, developers and property dealers should be directed to deposit all property papers with the publication through which advertisements are being issued in electronic as well as print media so that the buyers may cross check the claims.
A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P K Balasubramanyan and R V Raveendran issued notices on PIL filed by ‘’Sanrakshak’’ (the protector). Counsel for the petitioner K S Rana and Anil Karnwal contended before the court that these builders and land mafias had been defrauding general public of their hard earned money through misleading and fraudulent advertisements in mass media.
The petitioner has cited some advertisements issued by builders such as Seven Heaven for flats, while they did not own any land.
Vian Infrastucture Ltd issued advertisements in almost all national and regional daily publications about their so called housing project at Jaipur, Hardwar, Agra, Zirakpur, Indore, Neemrana, Udaipur, Mumbai and others and had allegedly collected crores of rupees while most of these projects were not approved.
Some other builders mentioned in the writ petition are P S G Developers and Engineers Ltd who have also duped the public of huge amount through such advertisements, J V G Group of Industries are also facing similar allegations.
The petitioner has also prayed to the court to issue directions to the Central government to set up a statutory regulatory body which shall examine each and every aspect of the claim made in the advertisements and it should only be allowed to publish with prior approval of the regulatory body.
The petitioner has also prayed to implement the recommendation by the Law Commission of India to insert a Sub Section 420 (b) IPC to make bogus advertisements as well as their publications a punishable offence.
A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P K Balasubramanyan and R V Raveendran issued notices on PIL filed by ‘’Sanrakshak’’ (the protector). Counsel for the petitioner K S Rana and Anil Karnwal contended before the court that these builders and land mafias had been defrauding general public of their hard earned money through misleading and fraudulent advertisements in mass media.
The petitioner has cited some advertisements issued by builders such as Seven Heaven for flats, while they did not own any land.
Vian Infrastucture Ltd issued advertisements in almost all national and regional daily publications about their so called housing project at Jaipur, Hardwar, Agra, Zirakpur, Indore, Neemrana, Udaipur, Mumbai and others and had allegedly collected crores of rupees while most of these projects were not approved.
Some other builders mentioned in the writ petition are P S G Developers and Engineers Ltd who have also duped the public of huge amount through such advertisements, J V G Group of Industries are also facing similar allegations.
The petitioner has also prayed to the court to issue directions to the Central government to set up a statutory regulatory body which shall examine each and every aspect of the claim made in the advertisements and it should only be allowed to publish with prior approval of the regulatory body.
The petitioner has also prayed to implement the recommendation by the Law Commission of India to insert a Sub Section 420 (b) IPC to make bogus advertisements as well as their publications a punishable offence.
Misleading Advertisements on Drugs
The BMJ publishes local editions in 16 countries, including India. These make reliable information available in countries where doctors either do not speak English or cannot afford the weekly journal. The local editions contain articles from the weekly edition of the BMJ, some local material, and advertisements.
The Indian edition of the BMJ has been published monthly since 1986. All the articles in it are from the BMJ's international edition except for one or two pages dealing with local news. The edition is reasonably priced and is therefore available to many readers. Unfortunately, the advertisements in the Indian edition do not have the same international standard as those in the weekly BMJ, are misleading, and make unsubstantiated claims.
We studied advertisements from pharmaceutical companies appearing in five issues of the Indian edition (August to December 1992; 116 advertisements) and in four issues of the British edition (March 1993; 87 advertisements). Advertisements for parenteral fluids, milk foods, and laboratory equipment were excluded. We noted whether the advertisements included indications for treatment, dosage, precautions, contraindications, adverse effects, price of the drug, the postal address of the drug company, and whether the claims made in the advertisements were referenced.
The generic name was absent in 19 (16%) of the Indian advertisements and none of the British advertisements. Scientific information was inadequate in 23 (20%) of Indian and 3 (3%) of British advertisements. In total, 76 (66%) Indian and 80 (92%) British advertisements provided an address for further information, and 76 (66%) and 84 (97%) mentioned the price. Eight advertisements in the Indian edition (7%) were for indigenous herbal and ayurvedic products.
In addition, we sent 10 randomly selected advertisements from the Indian edition of the BMJ to a clinical pharmacologist from Britain, a member of the medical therapeutic committee for Victoria, Australia, and a pharmaceutical advisor to the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (now Consumer International), in Malaysia. They found that all the advertisements were misleading or made unsubstantiated claims. Excerpts from their opinions give an idea of the standard of advertising in the Indian edition of the BMJ
Opinions of international panel on drugs advertised in Indian edition of BMJ
• Trental 400 (pentoxifylline): "The advertisement makes unsubstantiated claims of improvement in mental function." (This drug is marketed only for peripheral vascular disease in America and Britain; in India it is indicated for cerebrovascular disease as well.)
• Relaxyl (diclofenac): "The claim 'gentle on the gastrointestinal tract' is not in accord with the reported high incidence of gastrointestinal side effects (up to 30% in Australian approved product information)."
• Alarsin products (Indian preparation): "There is no information on active constituents, side effects, or contraindications, and the claims made are unsubstantiated."
• Keflor (kefaclor): "Makes unsubstantiated claims such as 'respiratory specific.'"
• Fludac (fluoxetine): "This advertisement distorts the side effect profile by mentioning only the advantages it has over tricyclic antidepressants. There is no information on contraindications or dosage."
• Globac (haemoglobin ferric ammonium citrate, copper sulphate, manganese sulphate, zinc sulphate): "No evidence for therapeutic effect is given, and there are no clear indications for use."
• Mentat (Indian preparation): "There is no information on constituents, indications, precautions, or dosage. There is no evidence given for clinical efficacy, and the reference is to a study in an obscure (in house) journal."
• Ciprodac (ciprofloxacin): "The claim 'super power in your hands' is meaningless. There is no mention of the generic name, constituents, contraindications, or side effects."
• Ciprowin (ciprofloxacin): "Makes unsubstantiated superlative claims such as 'surgical infections: most effective and cost effective therapy' and 'LRTI: better than third generation cephalosporins.'"
• Ciprobid (ciprofloxacin): "The claim 'superior to chloramphenicol, aminoglycosides, cephalosporins in ... bronchopneumonia, osteomyelitis' is misleading."
The words "Selections from the BMJ," which appear at the bottom of every page of the Indian edition, may give some readers the impression that the advertisements have the approval of the BMJ. The advertisement for Trental (pentoxifylline) is a clear example of misleading, unethical advertising and exposes the double standards of the company marketing the drug; it is prepared to promote a treatment in India in a way that would not be permitted in Britain. The advertisements for indigenous drugs are unscientific. Broad claims of cures for sleepiness, infertility, liver diseases, and infections are made, and the only proof is papers in journals published by the manufacturer. When such advertisements appear in the BMJ they acquire an aura of respectability.
It is unfortunate that the BMJ is involved in such promotion, as the journal's reputation lends respectability to these dubious advertisements. In Britain the BMJ has to conform to a stringent code for advertising.1 For its local editions, the BMJ should follow the ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion laid down by the World Health Organisation2; we hope that this will set an example for drug advertising in India and other developing countries.
The Indian edition of the BMJ has been published monthly since 1986. All the articles in it are from the BMJ's international edition except for one or two pages dealing with local news. The edition is reasonably priced and is therefore available to many readers. Unfortunately, the advertisements in the Indian edition do not have the same international standard as those in the weekly BMJ, are misleading, and make unsubstantiated claims.
We studied advertisements from pharmaceutical companies appearing in five issues of the Indian edition (August to December 1992; 116 advertisements) and in four issues of the British edition (March 1993; 87 advertisements). Advertisements for parenteral fluids, milk foods, and laboratory equipment were excluded. We noted whether the advertisements included indications for treatment, dosage, precautions, contraindications, adverse effects, price of the drug, the postal address of the drug company, and whether the claims made in the advertisements were referenced.
The generic name was absent in 19 (16%) of the Indian advertisements and none of the British advertisements. Scientific information was inadequate in 23 (20%) of Indian and 3 (3%) of British advertisements. In total, 76 (66%) Indian and 80 (92%) British advertisements provided an address for further information, and 76 (66%) and 84 (97%) mentioned the price. Eight advertisements in the Indian edition (7%) were for indigenous herbal and ayurvedic products.
In addition, we sent 10 randomly selected advertisements from the Indian edition of the BMJ to a clinical pharmacologist from Britain, a member of the medical therapeutic committee for Victoria, Australia, and a pharmaceutical advisor to the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (now Consumer International), in Malaysia. They found that all the advertisements were misleading or made unsubstantiated claims. Excerpts from their opinions give an idea of the standard of advertising in the Indian edition of the BMJ
Opinions of international panel on drugs advertised in Indian edition of BMJ
• Trental 400 (pentoxifylline): "The advertisement makes unsubstantiated claims of improvement in mental function." (This drug is marketed only for peripheral vascular disease in America and Britain; in India it is indicated for cerebrovascular disease as well.)
• Relaxyl (diclofenac): "The claim 'gentle on the gastrointestinal tract' is not in accord with the reported high incidence of gastrointestinal side effects (up to 30% in Australian approved product information)."
• Alarsin products (Indian preparation): "There is no information on active constituents, side effects, or contraindications, and the claims made are unsubstantiated."
• Keflor (kefaclor): "Makes unsubstantiated claims such as 'respiratory specific.'"
• Fludac (fluoxetine): "This advertisement distorts the side effect profile by mentioning only the advantages it has over tricyclic antidepressants. There is no information on contraindications or dosage."
• Globac (haemoglobin ferric ammonium citrate, copper sulphate, manganese sulphate, zinc sulphate): "No evidence for therapeutic effect is given, and there are no clear indications for use."
• Mentat (Indian preparation): "There is no information on constituents, indications, precautions, or dosage. There is no evidence given for clinical efficacy, and the reference is to a study in an obscure (in house) journal."
• Ciprodac (ciprofloxacin): "The claim 'super power in your hands' is meaningless. There is no mention of the generic name, constituents, contraindications, or side effects."
• Ciprowin (ciprofloxacin): "Makes unsubstantiated superlative claims such as 'surgical infections: most effective and cost effective therapy' and 'LRTI: better than third generation cephalosporins.'"
• Ciprobid (ciprofloxacin): "The claim 'superior to chloramphenicol, aminoglycosides, cephalosporins in ... bronchopneumonia, osteomyelitis' is misleading."
The words "Selections from the BMJ," which appear at the bottom of every page of the Indian edition, may give some readers the impression that the advertisements have the approval of the BMJ. The advertisement for Trental (pentoxifylline) is a clear example of misleading, unethical advertising and exposes the double standards of the company marketing the drug; it is prepared to promote a treatment in India in a way that would not be permitted in Britain. The advertisements for indigenous drugs are unscientific. Broad claims of cures for sleepiness, infertility, liver diseases, and infections are made, and the only proof is papers in journals published by the manufacturer. When such advertisements appear in the BMJ they acquire an aura of respectability.
It is unfortunate that the BMJ is involved in such promotion, as the journal's reputation lends respectability to these dubious advertisements. In Britain the BMJ has to conform to a stringent code for advertising.1 For its local editions, the BMJ should follow the ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion laid down by the World Health Organisation2; we hope that this will set an example for drug advertising in India and other developing countries.
Misleading Cosmetic Advertisement In India
Advertisements are designed to attract consumers and often, they find that the promises and claims in the advertisements are not true. L'Oreal has recently been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for producing 'misleading' ads featuring Hollywood actress Penelope Cruz.
The print and TV advertisements claimed that their Telescopic mascara could create 60 per cent longer eyelashes "that could reach for the stars". But it was found that Cruz had actually used false eyelashes for the advertisements. L'Oreal has been ordered to add a disclaimer to future ads.
However, lashes are not the only fake things in advertisements. Advertisement
filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar reveals, "What you see in advertisements
is always doctored. The flawless models who endorse these products are not real, because their appearance is touched up. You have makeup, lights, airbrushing and all sorts of techniques, which give a picture-perfect end result."
Professional make-up artist Manzoor Khan, who works in films and advertisements, says, "The right make-up makes all the difference in an advertisement
for a beauty product. Sometimes, we have to do a little cheating here and there if the product being advertised doesn't give the desired look. We could use a product from another brand to get the best finish. Make-up and lighting go hand in hand to create the perfect look."
Dermatologist Dr Malavika Kohli stresses the need for consumer awareness. "We should make it a point to read the label for the active ingredients, their percentages, clinical studies and trials conducted for any cosmetic product. Based on this information, we can make our choices. We should all be informed consumers."
However, if a company deliberately misleads consumers with false advertisements, a complain can be lodged to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a self regulatory voluntary organisation of the advertising industry.
The print and TV advertisements claimed that their Telescopic mascara could create 60 per cent longer eyelashes "that could reach for the stars". But it was found that Cruz had actually used false eyelashes for the advertisements. L'Oreal has been ordered to add a disclaimer to future ads.
However, lashes are not the only fake things in advertisements. Advertisement
filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar reveals, "What you see in advertisements
is always doctored. The flawless models who endorse these products are not real, because their appearance is touched up. You have makeup, lights, airbrushing and all sorts of techniques, which give a picture-perfect end result."
Professional make-up artist Manzoor Khan, who works in films and advertisements, says, "The right make-up makes all the difference in an advertisement
for a beauty product. Sometimes, we have to do a little cheating here and there if the product being advertised doesn't give the desired look. We could use a product from another brand to get the best finish. Make-up and lighting go hand in hand to create the perfect look."
Dermatologist Dr Malavika Kohli stresses the need for consumer awareness. "We should make it a point to read the label for the active ingredients, their percentages, clinical studies and trials conducted for any cosmetic product. Based on this information, we can make our choices. We should all be informed consumers."
However, if a company deliberately misleads consumers with false advertisements, a complain can be lodged to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a self regulatory voluntary organisation of the advertising industry.
Misleading English Language Course Advertisements
Off late, the capital has witnessed a tremendous increase in the number of various professional institutes, especially those, which proclaim that they cater for those underprivileged, who want to speak English. Local newspapers are full of advertisements about English courses, which are offered at various institutes at varying fees. These institutes boast that they can groom an individual to meet the modern day needs.
However, a question often arises in one’s mind about their authenticity. There are various institutes which are operating with various names and are charging hefty money. If one visits them, then one can clearly make out that they themselves are ill-equipped to teach the students.
The so called teaching staff is ignorant about English language. "The teachers themselves are unacquainted about the language. If you talk with them then most of them speak incorrect English with lots of grammatical errors and fumble a lot so how can they groom those students," says RC Shukla, a resident of Vikas Lok lane.
Echoing the same sentiment, Pankaj Purohit, a student says, "No doubt English is a global language and plays a very important role in a country like India besides being in great demand in day to day business. However, hardly any institute in the city teaches it properly."
Sometimes it is really absurd to read the advertisements that these institutes not only teach English but also British and American English. They further train students for the interviews for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) companies. In addition to this, they have courses (with fees ranging from Rs 2500 to Rs 4500) like personality development and confidence building to face any interview within 7 to 15 days.
"I think even today English rules the roost. Those, who speak this language, are seen with respect and those, who cannot, are looked down upon even if they are very talented. I am not against English language but it is our Indian mentality, which has given birth to these institutes," says an annoyed student Pramanshu Singh.
"Some of these institutes are registered but others are not. But you see, in our country it is easy to get things done by greasing the palms. There should be stringent rules to obtain registration, as they are doing less of constructive work and are only filling their coffers," adds Pramanshu.
If one reads the pamphlets then a closer look shows that the course is not designed to impart but rather to misguide and mint money. Some say that they will teach English language by playing English songs, which seems ridiculous.
"I think that they should purchase some good CD's designed by University Grants Commission (UGC) to impart knowledge. But they are only minting money and misguiding those, who are actually interested to learn but they cannot and by the time they realise, it is too late", says Gaurav Gupta, a resident of cement road.
However, a question often arises in one’s mind about their authenticity. There are various institutes which are operating with various names and are charging hefty money. If one visits them, then one can clearly make out that they themselves are ill-equipped to teach the students.
The so called teaching staff is ignorant about English language. "The teachers themselves are unacquainted about the language. If you talk with them then most of them speak incorrect English with lots of grammatical errors and fumble a lot so how can they groom those students," says RC Shukla, a resident of Vikas Lok lane.
Echoing the same sentiment, Pankaj Purohit, a student says, "No doubt English is a global language and plays a very important role in a country like India besides being in great demand in day to day business. However, hardly any institute in the city teaches it properly."
Sometimes it is really absurd to read the advertisements that these institutes not only teach English but also British and American English. They further train students for the interviews for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) companies. In addition to this, they have courses (with fees ranging from Rs 2500 to Rs 4500) like personality development and confidence building to face any interview within 7 to 15 days.
"I think even today English rules the roost. Those, who speak this language, are seen with respect and those, who cannot, are looked down upon even if they are very talented. I am not against English language but it is our Indian mentality, which has given birth to these institutes," says an annoyed student Pramanshu Singh.
"Some of these institutes are registered but others are not. But you see, in our country it is easy to get things done by greasing the palms. There should be stringent rules to obtain registration, as they are doing less of constructive work and are only filling their coffers," adds Pramanshu.
If one reads the pamphlets then a closer look shows that the course is not designed to impart but rather to misguide and mint money. Some say that they will teach English language by playing English songs, which seems ridiculous.
"I think that they should purchase some good CD's designed by University Grants Commission (UGC) to impart knowledge. But they are only minting money and misguiding those, who are actually interested to learn but they cannot and by the time they realise, it is too late", says Gaurav Gupta, a resident of cement road.
Misleading Drug Advertisements Online
With no regulatory control over drug advertisements on television or the Internet, India is fast becoming a haven for illegal online pharmacies that hijack popular pharma brands to sell counterfeit medicines.
Several websites that promote sales of drugs illegally were found to be hosted in India, according to the Summer 2008 Brandjacking Index, an independent annual brand abuse analysis by US-based MarkMonitor Inc.
“Our year-over-year trend data shows a grave situation: The number of people looking to save money by buying pharmaceuticals over the Web is growing rapidly while scam-mers are more aggressively exploiting loose controls over online sales of drugs,” Irfan Salim, president and chief executive of MarkMonitor, said about the report.
The survey mirrors a report by UN’s International Narcotics Control Board in March, which said a growing number of illegal online pharmacies based in India appeared to be the West’s source for pharmaceutical drugs that cannot otherwise be shipped freely into that region or require prescriptions from doctors.
The report had blamed this on the lack of an adequate regulatory framework for the pharma industry in India.
Indeed, India’s 54-year-old Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, under which drug advertisements are regulated, has not yet been updated to include television and the Web.
“Our law currently doesn’t identify online advertisement or trade of drugs, though there are measures to check the authenticity of drug ingredients or finished formulations when they are physically transferred from one place to another,” said M. Venkateswarlu, former drug controller general of India.
As drug controller general, Venkateswarlu had in 2006 proposed updating the law to expand its scope, with provisions to prevent misguiding advertisements and false claims about health care products and medical devices on television and the Internet. The proposal was not pursued effectively at the cabinet level due to budgetary constraints and practical difficulties in its implementation, he said.
The report cites another online exchange site hosted in India, but with Russian contact information, that sells loose pills at a 93% discount over the retail price. The significant discount, the study says, indicates the website is selling fake, diluted, alternative, stolen, grey market or expired medicines.
The MarkMonitor survey reveals that the online pharmacy trade largely revolves around six leading brands prescribed for anti-impotency, sexual enhancement, and other top-selling drugs of multinational companies.
According to the brandjacking study, 60% of the presumed fraudulent online pharmacies and business-to-business exchange sites the agency had identified in 2007 are still operating.
Last year, MarkMonitor’s study said exchange sites that sell drugs in bulk quantities could corrupt the overall supply chain by “injecting potentially phony and dangerous medications into the market”. It had said 31% of the exchange site listings originated in China, followed by 26% in the US and 19% in India.
The total number of online pharmacies operating globally as in June was 2,986, of which only two were certified, according to MarkMonitor. A dramatic rise in traffic has led to a sizable increase in revenue, estimated at $12 billion, the study said, based on industry statistics for purchase rates of 0.05% of the traffic and average order size of $70.
“This is an industry that isn’t just going away, but is getting better at conducting their illicit activities and preying on the public,” MarkMonitor said in its latest report. “There is more traffic to online pharmacy sites that are doing more business, and a 36% growth in the availability of drugs in the online supply chain.”
The other disturbing trend, according to the survey, is the use of search engine advertising to draw in more unsuspecting buyers to misleading websites. “We identified 11,836 search ads; none of the ads that we analyzed were from legitimate brandholders. More than two-thirds of the ads showed trademark abuses. All of these ads led visitors to misleading sites that were selling these drugs,” the report said.
Several websites that promote sales of drugs illegally were found to be hosted in India, according to the Summer 2008 Brandjacking Index, an independent annual brand abuse analysis by US-based MarkMonitor Inc.
“Our year-over-year trend data shows a grave situation: The number of people looking to save money by buying pharmaceuticals over the Web is growing rapidly while scam-mers are more aggressively exploiting loose controls over online sales of drugs,” Irfan Salim, president and chief executive of MarkMonitor, said about the report.
The survey mirrors a report by UN’s International Narcotics Control Board in March, which said a growing number of illegal online pharmacies based in India appeared to be the West’s source for pharmaceutical drugs that cannot otherwise be shipped freely into that region or require prescriptions from doctors.
The report had blamed this on the lack of an adequate regulatory framework for the pharma industry in India.
Indeed, India’s 54-year-old Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, under which drug advertisements are regulated, has not yet been updated to include television and the Web.
“Our law currently doesn’t identify online advertisement or trade of drugs, though there are measures to check the authenticity of drug ingredients or finished formulations when they are physically transferred from one place to another,” said M. Venkateswarlu, former drug controller general of India.
As drug controller general, Venkateswarlu had in 2006 proposed updating the law to expand its scope, with provisions to prevent misguiding advertisements and false claims about health care products and medical devices on television and the Internet. The proposal was not pursued effectively at the cabinet level due to budgetary constraints and practical difficulties in its implementation, he said.
The report cites another online exchange site hosted in India, but with Russian contact information, that sells loose pills at a 93% discount over the retail price. The significant discount, the study says, indicates the website is selling fake, diluted, alternative, stolen, grey market or expired medicines.
The MarkMonitor survey reveals that the online pharmacy trade largely revolves around six leading brands prescribed for anti-impotency, sexual enhancement, and other top-selling drugs of multinational companies.
According to the brandjacking study, 60% of the presumed fraudulent online pharmacies and business-to-business exchange sites the agency had identified in 2007 are still operating.
Last year, MarkMonitor’s study said exchange sites that sell drugs in bulk quantities could corrupt the overall supply chain by “injecting potentially phony and dangerous medications into the market”. It had said 31% of the exchange site listings originated in China, followed by 26% in the US and 19% in India.
The total number of online pharmacies operating globally as in June was 2,986, of which only two were certified, according to MarkMonitor. A dramatic rise in traffic has led to a sizable increase in revenue, estimated at $12 billion, the study said, based on industry statistics for purchase rates of 0.05% of the traffic and average order size of $70.
“This is an industry that isn’t just going away, but is getting better at conducting their illicit activities and preying on the public,” MarkMonitor said in its latest report. “There is more traffic to online pharmacy sites that are doing more business, and a 36% growth in the availability of drugs in the online supply chain.”
The other disturbing trend, according to the survey, is the use of search engine advertising to draw in more unsuspecting buyers to misleading websites. “We identified 11,836 search ads; none of the ads that we analyzed were from legitimate brandholders. More than two-thirds of the ads showed trademark abuses. All of these ads led visitors to misleading sites that were selling these drugs,” the report said.
The Coca-Cola company is making unsubstantiated claims about its relationship to water and has a dismal record of protecting water resources. It neither protects nor preserves water. By placing an advertisement in the Daily Minnesota on March 22, the Coca-Cola company is attempting to manufacture an image of itself that it clearly is not - a responsible steward of water.
The reality of Coca-Cola particularly in India is a far cry from what was printed in the Daily Minnesota. The company has conveniently omitted pertinent data, and the advertisement is designed to deliberately mislead the public.
The Coca-Cola company is guilty of denying thousands of people access to water in India by affecting the quantity of water through its massive water use and the quality of water through pollution. Its operations are affecting the very lifeline of India where over 70% of the population derives a living from agriculture.
Coca-Cola's flaunting of their increased water efficiency in the advertisement fails to provide an accurate picture of the company's relationship with water. According to the company itself, 75% of the freshwater they extract in India is turned into wastewater. Coca-Cola extracts huge amounts of water, in some cases, using up to a million liters of water per day in some facilities in India. Globally, the company extracted 283 billion liters of water in 2004, and turned two-thirds of it into wastewater.
The omission of such relevant numbers when discussing water stewardship is designed to deliberately mislead the public. Coca-Cola's abuse of water is particularly striking in a world where lack of access to clean, drinking water is a reality for over 1.2 billion people.
Coca-Cola's claims in the advertisement of "substantially" returning the water they use to local aquifers in India is also absurd. Just last week, Coca-Cola's top public relations official in India admitted that rainwater harvesting in their Mehdiganj facility "harvested" only 8% of their annual water use. 8% is not "substantial" by any measure, and is indicative, once again, of the deliberate attempt by the company to mislead.
Rainwater harvesting is not, as Coca-Cola may suggest, an altruistic measure on their part. It is the result of the formidable community campaigns all across India challenging the company's water abuses that have forced the company to adopt rainwater harvesting. However, rainwater harvesting alone is not enough to meet Coca-Cola's supersized thirst for water.
The Coca-Cola company does not mention in the advertisement that it has been indicted for polluting water and land in India, which has resulted in further hardships for thousands. One of Coca-Cola's largest bottling plants in India has remained shut down for over two years now because the State Pollution Control Board will not allow it to operate-citing the company for gross pollution. Numerous tests conducted by government and independent agencies have confirmed that the water around Coca-Cola's bottling plants have been severely polluted and are unfit for human consumption.
Twenty villages in the vicinity of Coca-Cola's bottling plant in Mehdiganj, in northern India, have embarked upon an indefinite vigil on March 23, demanding that the plant shut down before summer begins, when water shortages are particularly acute.
The misleading advertisement in the Daily Minnesota does nothing to assuage the serious concerns of the thousands of people living near Mehdiganj.
The reality of Coca-Cola particularly in India is a far cry from what was printed in the Daily Minnesota. The company has conveniently omitted pertinent data, and the advertisement is designed to deliberately mislead the public.
The Coca-Cola company is guilty of denying thousands of people access to water in India by affecting the quantity of water through its massive water use and the quality of water through pollution. Its operations are affecting the very lifeline of India where over 70% of the population derives a living from agriculture.
Coca-Cola's flaunting of their increased water efficiency in the advertisement fails to provide an accurate picture of the company's relationship with water. According to the company itself, 75% of the freshwater they extract in India is turned into wastewater. Coca-Cola extracts huge amounts of water, in some cases, using up to a million liters of water per day in some facilities in India. Globally, the company extracted 283 billion liters of water in 2004, and turned two-thirds of it into wastewater.
The omission of such relevant numbers when discussing water stewardship is designed to deliberately mislead the public. Coca-Cola's abuse of water is particularly striking in a world where lack of access to clean, drinking water is a reality for over 1.2 billion people.
Coca-Cola's claims in the advertisement of "substantially" returning the water they use to local aquifers in India is also absurd. Just last week, Coca-Cola's top public relations official in India admitted that rainwater harvesting in their Mehdiganj facility "harvested" only 8% of their annual water use. 8% is not "substantial" by any measure, and is indicative, once again, of the deliberate attempt by the company to mislead.
Rainwater harvesting is not, as Coca-Cola may suggest, an altruistic measure on their part. It is the result of the formidable community campaigns all across India challenging the company's water abuses that have forced the company to adopt rainwater harvesting. However, rainwater harvesting alone is not enough to meet Coca-Cola's supersized thirst for water.
The Coca-Cola company does not mention in the advertisement that it has been indicted for polluting water and land in India, which has resulted in further hardships for thousands. One of Coca-Cola's largest bottling plants in India has remained shut down for over two years now because the State Pollution Control Board will not allow it to operate-citing the company for gross pollution. Numerous tests conducted by government and independent agencies have confirmed that the water around Coca-Cola's bottling plants have been severely polluted and are unfit for human consumption.
Twenty villages in the vicinity of Coca-Cola's bottling plant in Mehdiganj, in northern India, have embarked upon an indefinite vigil on March 23, demanding that the plant shut down before summer begins, when water shortages are particularly acute.
The misleading advertisement in the Daily Minnesota does nothing to assuage the serious concerns of the thousands of people living near Mehdiganj.
ASCI pulls up leading MNCs for misleading ads
Hindustan Unilever, Henkel India and Proctor & Gamble have been pulled up by the Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) for misleading advertisements during July-September in 2007. The FMCG majors were among total 11 advertisers against whom complaints were upheld by the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI during the period.
Hindustan Unilever had to modify a tv commercial of its product Vim dish wash liquid which according to the CCC was a misleading advertisement. The commercial against which the complaint was made claimed that ‘just one drop is enough. New Vim drop has 10 times more lime power than the bar’.
Based on the complaint, the advertiser had to provide proof and substantiate that ‘one drop’ of Vim could produce the cleaning effect as visually depicted and claimed in the voice over of the tv commercial. Eventually the commercial had to be modified as the claim mentioned in the advertisement was misleading, as the ‘cleansing protocol’ provided in the report submitted by the advertiser did not appear in the advertisement.
Similarly, Henkel India claimed that ‘each drop of Prill has active ingredients which removes grease better than the bar’ and according to the CCC, claim mentioned in the advertisement was not substantiated adequately.
Subsequently, the advertiser conducted the cleaning efficiency test with an independent lab for which they have provided a copy of the report.
Even Proctor and Gamble had to assure appropriate modification of the tv commercial which claimed that one tablespoon of ‘Tide’ was sufficient for washing a bucket full of clothes.
According to a complaint, the advertiser contradicted its own statement in the advertisement of ‘1 spoon’ being required when actually ‘1 scoop’ was required as mentioned on the pack.
Besides the leading FMCG firms, United Spirits, Coca Cola India, Perfetti Van Melle, Mahindra Renault, KBM Marketing andRajvansh Clinic were other companies against whom complaints were upheld by the CCC during the period.
Bad Ads
Hindustan Unilever
Henkel
Proctor and Gamble
United Spirits
Coca Cola India
Perfetti Van Melle
Mahindra Renault
KBM Marketing
Rajvansh Clinic
Lies, all lies!
The problem with advertising is that it doesn’t just inform people…it tries to persuade, entice, lure and influence. This may be necessary for a brand’s growth and business growth, but therein lies the pitfall. Companies and brands are tempted to cross the line and blatantly lie and/or find loopholes in the law to promote their products. The ad on the right is a surrogate ad promoting alcohol although alcohol advertising is banned in India. Brand managers have targets to meet and if misleading advertising does the trick, there are no qualms.
Packaging and positioning of a product can also be misleading (marketing) and a case in point is Maggi ‘Atta‘ (whole wheat) noodles. Unless the marketer clearly mentions (on the pack) how much atta used in the mix, such positioning is misleading. Particularly so in India, as we do not even have a legal definition of what constitutes ‘whole-wheat’ flour. I have picked up an oil from the Dollar Shop here, which calls itself a blend of Olive and Soya Oil. On close scrutiny one realises that the Olive Oil is only 5 percent of the whole.
Any solutions?
One of the ways to sort out such blatant displays of misleading marketing and advertising, is regulation. Both by the government and the industry. Government generally does not interfere too much, barring laying out broad guidelines and setting legal limits. Companies find it fairly easy to get round the law. Often the advertising councils depend on consumers to make complaints, but in countries like India consumers are less aware and often do not complain. We have one of the lowest complaint rates here.
It’s ideal if the ad industry self-regulates. This is common in developed markets but while it may not have worked as well as it should, (as one commentator pointed out in a comment on a previous post on self regulation in India), it’s still needed. For India however, self-regulation is in it’s infancy and we need self-regulation in place as one of the measures to prevent misleading advertising.
The government needs to do more work too. In my view, children in particular need to be protected against misleading advertising and I hope India goes the way of countries like Sweden where all television advertising aimed at children under the age of 12 is banned.
But if one has to take a holistic view, advertising is needed for business growth and without it we will go back to the dark ages, literally speaking as access to information will decrease. So the answer is more control and more checks and balances. And of course a strong consumer awareness, which is sadly lacking in India.
And as far as I see it, if the ad industry doesn’t get it right soon, if it persists on pulling the wool over consumers’ eyes, the worse it will get for them. The cynicism and distrust which has crept in which increase as consumers get more aware and this can only harm brands, even the good ones. As a result, companies will be forced to spend more and more to try and convince consumers. It makes me wonder if the backlash against advertising will ever start to reverse…
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