Consumer institutions asked to do more

Consumer institutions asked to do more

JAKARTA (JP): Consumer groups should do more to defend the
public from the adverse effects of advertising, an anthropologist
said at a seminar on women and advertising in Surabaya yesterday.

"Of late, we are getting more reports of people deceived by
irresponsible advertising which present products that are not the
same in reality," said Irwan Abdullah, a staff lecturer at
Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

He pointed out that the rapid increase in the number of
advertisements has not been accompanied by better information on
product specifications that could help protect consumers.

He suggested that pressure could be put on production houses
or advertising agencies that create deceptive advertisements. An
independent agency could also be set-up along stricter ethical
guidelines.

Irwan alluded to the law passed in 1989 which allowed for the
establishment of private television stations. Since then, he
said, TV has focused people's attention on image and aesthetics.

"Television creates interesting and pleasing pictures, and
encourages people to consume," said Irwan. Citing an example, he
said that by many local people's standards a product priced at Rp
99,000 (US$42) is expensive, but that TV advertisements claim the
product can be theirs for the low price of Rp 99,000.

Television stations should be more responsible and broadcast
information that balances images and information with reality, he
said, adding that personalities used to promote products should
also consider the moral aspects of their presentations.

Attended by some 200 participants, the conference was
sponsored by Dr. Soetomo University and the Center for Women's
Studies, Antara reported.

Tamara Blezynski, a soap-opera star, urged the public to be
more critical of the information presented on TV. She added that
tabloids should also be held responsible for the gossip and
misleading pictures that they print. (14)