Trend in advertising of exploiting women for sales

JAKARTA (JP): Inneke Koesherawati, a sexy model and movie actress, is about to get married. A minute before the wedding bells ring, her face appears passionless and nervous.

What happened to this beautiful bride-to-be? "I am so worried that I will not be able to satisfy my husband tonight," whimpers Inneke to her older friend Meriam Bellina, one of Indonesia's top stars.

Meriem advises the nervous bride to take the multivitamin Hemaviton to rejuvenate her vitality.

Then, looking fresh and cheerful, the newly wed Inneke emerges from her bedroom the morning after the wedding night. "Finally, I can make him extremely happy," she smiles, blinking her eyes passionately.

This was not a scene from a movie, but a popular TV commercial for Hemaviton which has drawn public protests, particularly from the female audience.

A lot of women are against this type of advertising, claiming it portrays women or wives as mere objects of male's sexual pleasure.

Using beautiful women in sexually suggestive and provocative commercials is now becoming very trendy.

Advertisements which touch on the "gray area" (sexually suggestive themes) are widely used as one of the most effective strategies to sell certain products, especially those related to physical performance.

Yusca Ismail, chairperson of the National Advertising Committee, said during a recent seminar on the advertising of nonprescription drugs that sexy ads are amusing and easily remembered by consumers, but they often create misleading perceptions toward the promoted products.

The committee consists of representatives from the government, academia, advertisers, manufacturers and other related experts. This newly established body has the authority to monitor the advertising of various products.

"The Hemaviton advertisement persuaded people to consume the vitamin to improve their sexual vitality, which was not what the product actually did," explained Yusca.

The committee, he said, had already asked the producer of Hemaviton and its advertising agency to revise the commercial.

"Some agencies made misleading commercials on the grounds of artistic creativity, but many others intentionally violated the code of ethics and regulations of advertising for certain purposes," Yusca said.

A lot of producers desire sexy ads to boost their sales. "However, we must be careful when creating these kinds of commercials because we are facing an audience with different academic, social and cultural backgrounds," Yusca added.

Sampurno, director general for the supervision of food and drug at the Ministry of Health, complained that many people from the advertising business have little knowledge about social and cultural issues.

Citing an example, KratinDaeng's (a tonic drink) advertisements showing a female model wearing a sexy swimsuit was visually accepted by people in Jakarta, "but people on Madura Island and in several towns in East Java provinces known for their strong religious commitments had lodged serious protests demanding the withdrawal of this commercial from TV programs," Sampurno said.

Impact

Commercials in the printed and electronic media have a big impact on people and communities, he said.

"Producers and advertising agencies must be very sensitive when dealing with touchy subjects such as sex, which in some communities is still very taboo," he added.

A.Z. Nasution, a consumer activist, added that the government and professional organizations must be active in monitoring commercials which are offensive or deceptive.

"Consumers have the right to be informed and they have the right to choose the best products available. Therefore, they must have and the they deserve correct information from advertisers," Nasution said.

He demanded that several vulgar ads for products such as Susu Kuda Liar (milk produced from wild horses), Kuku Bima aphrodisiac pills, Kondom Sutra, Macho Man and many others be revised or pulled from the media.

Dr. Naek L. Tobing, a famous sexologist, appeared in the Kuku Bima commercial to persuade male viewers that they could enhance their sexual performances if the consumed the pills.

According to the advertising code of ethics, professionals such doctors, bankers and lawyers are not allowed to promote products related to their profession. The Kuku Bima ad is thought to have violated this code.

Advertising for Viagra, a wonder drug used to cure various erectile dysfunctions, on the Internet and in newspapers is also common, despite the fact that the drug has yet to be clinically approved by the Ministry of Health.

Advertisements in newspapers provide potential customers with cellular phone numbers or e-mail addresses, through which they can obtain the drug. Viagra is also sold through word of mouth.

Sampurno revealed that his office had attempted to trace the advertisers by answering the ads, but nobody answered the phones or responded to the e-mail messages.

Yusca commented that the media plays a very significant role in presenting proper advertising.

Many people, especially parents, sharply criticized some commercials which were presented on the radio and television, he said.

"The committee urged local TV stations to rearrange their commercial programs, especially when running sexy ads. They had to adjust the broadcasting times so that ads run at appropriate times to appropriate audiences," Yusca said.

TV stations, for instance, are still allowed to air sexy commercials after 10 p.m. "The committee is monitoring TV commercials but not radio commercials because there are hundreds of radio stations in Jakarta and other big cities," Yusca said.

S.L. Batubara, secretary general of the Indonesian Publishers' Association, commented that it would be very difficult for the media to select proper advertising.

Survive

"During this economic crisis, a large number of media companies are dying. They badly need income from advertisements in order to survive," Batubara said.

On the other hand, in this era of reform, the government has issued 400 new permits to publish various newspapers, magazines, tabloids and other publications.

"The amount of spending on advertising had decreased substantially, while the number of media chasing advertising dollars had risen sharply," he said.

Based on data from the Association of Advertising Companies, spending on commercials in the print and electronic media dropped from Rp 3.49 trillion in l997 to only Rp 2.5 trillion by November l998.

Batubara said that advertising income was important for the media, but it should not forget that their primary function was to disseminate accurate information, including correct and honest commercials.

"The media is the last gate to censor any discrepancies in advertisements," Batubara said. (raw)