Financial Times

Food of the Gods
Women's group dismayed by chocolate advertisement
By Lanelle Hills
An 'irresistible' chocolate has crossed the line with women's groups who are up in arms over the latest bid to attract consumer attention through an advertisement that portrays a nude woman draped in chocolate, but the advertising company responsible for it remained defiant in its creativity.

Women's groups demanded that the ad in the print and electronic media be withdrawn."This is an innovative thing for a kind of chocolate," argued Vajira Jayawardena, Media Manager of the advertising agency, Initiative Media adding that the brand was being positioned on a 'sensuality platform'.

He said the 'premium product' aimed at attracting mature consumers of an age group between 25-50 and was not for children adding that they were being specific in their target group by advertising in only select TV and print media.

Sunila Abeysekera, women and human rights activist, was critical of the ad saying this was another expression of how the advertising industry exploited "women's bodies in order to sell their clients products." The Women and Media Collective (WMC) in a letter to Initiative Media said the advertisement portrayed woman as edible and consumable.

"The woman is transformed into chocolate, calling out to be devoured. While there can be no doubt that this was your intention, from the point of women, who are subject to endless acts of abuse, harassment, violence and exploitation every day, being offered for consumption in this way is degrading and an affront to our dignity.

We wish to express our strong protest regarding this advertisement and call on you to withdraw it immediately," the letter signed by WMC director Sepali Kottegoda said. Responding to the "withdrawal" request, Jayawardena said they were not harassing women but appreciated the concern women's groups have. "We do not see anything negative in this advertisement.

How many times have we seen women's bodies being used in TV commercials? She is not naked because she is covered with chocolate and you can't see anything," he said, adding "there was nothing wrong in using a women's body in advertisements."

Kottegoda, also Coordinator of the Sri Lanka Women's NGO forum said, "other advertisers in the past have been sensitive when we protested before, and its surprising that with the present day advancements major advertising companies have still not been sensitized to such issues."

She said its not a simple thing of equating a woman's body to something that is to be devoured, "they don't realize the negative message that is attached to such ads, I think its very irresponsible advertising." An official at the company that markets the chocolate, said on Wednesday they hadn't received any negative feedback while sales figures were satisfactory.

He said Sri Lanka is not a conservative society anymore and there were much worse things being viewed on TV, while this ad was nothing compared to most of them.

Point of View
Just imagine the hundreds of attractive ways an advertiser can sell a chocolate. Yet advertisers of a recent newspaper ad promoting chocolates chose to feature a naked woman supposedly coated with the chocolate caught in a sensual mood!

This is not meant to pass judgement on the so-called modern creative whiz kids who ply the halls of advertising agencies sporting earrings, faded jeans and more recently shaved heads and who think you have to be different to sell a product!

It is a sad reflection on the advertising industry as a whole and those responsible or not responsible for introducing some sort of standards. The advertisers, who behave dumbfounded are also responsible for the deterioration of standards as it is they who approve and incur enormous charges for such rubbish.

Of course, a counter argument would be that the 'desired response' is achieved. That's one of the ways modern whiz kids get away with murder! However desired the objectives it is simply not achieving a successful 'one shot' sales objective.

There's the perception of a brand by an identified target audience. God knows what the objectives of this particular ad were because a responsible advertiser would seek to establish an image in the market.

Only an advertiser who seeks to make a quick buck from a short-term deal will launch into irresponsibly created advertising. No, this is not been prudish or old-fashioned.

An attractive man or woman is always useful to communicate a message. Everyone likes to be modern in thinking and outlook but hang on, there's a limit to anything.

A national newspaper is not restricted reading and we owe it to our young to ensure that they do not run away with warped ideas that a woman could be enraptured to that extent by a mere chocolate and that they should respect the fairer sex a little more than that.

A word of advice to those responsible for this hideous ad - "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" and learn to respect the feelings of the people of the country you are addressing. -A veteran ‘Ad’ man

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