SEXY ADVERTISMENT

Setting the Minds of People?

by: Cecilio Ronquillo

Advertising is very influential to everyone, we can say that no one can escape to it, everywhere we can see it, from Television to radio, print ads and even thru telephone directories. This form of media is actually affects our lifestyle and set the minds of people on what to wear and what to eat. All advertising agency nowadays make used of seductive models to attract people to patronized their certain product.

These Advertising agencies produced commercials and print advertisement that is very attractive to their audience and prospective clients, but the problem is that these agencies produced a kind of commercials that tends to make the audience and buyers to believe on what they see on print ads and TV commercial that is actually is not existing in the real world. Because of the advent of technology, we can now easily transform an ugly person to a very good looking subject, a messy room to a clean room, a dirty face to a clean face, we should be thankful in the creator Photoshop and other editing software that enhanced the subject to turn to its fine-looking angle. But dilemma in here is that we are fooling everyone to believe on what they see on the advertisement, it may affect their self esteem because people believed that if they have the same apparel with any fashion icon or model, they think that are in, but if they don’t have it, they consider themselves as not acceptable by our society.

Advertisers change their subjects into an object which means everything that you seen on their ads is actually not true, it is either edited or retouched wherein we should not practiced it because it may affect ones identity and hurt someone’s feeling. The effect of this is people are trying hard to be like what they see and if they can’t attain the beauty that they want it may lead to depression and obsession. So let us move and pass a bill that lessen down the editing system in commercials, we should not fool people, we must promote things that is not against the will of others as well as in the will of our creator.

LIBERATION. CHALLENGES. PEOPLE. CHANGES. MONEY.

Philippines has always been a conservative country that has its own original identity and practices. Some of the few notable observations I had, that will serve as examples on what images, themes and stereotypes prevalent in Philippine TV and films are these follows.

But before my notable observations, I would like to reflect on what I feel about the documentary-film or a TALK from Jean Kilbourne’s Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women Documentary. I had fun while watching the documentary-film, not because of the pleasure brought by sensitive images or the double meanings but because of the background talk Kilbourne had, while showing those photos and other videos. I precisely agreed on everything that she said the deterioration and the unlikely image of vulnerable women nowadays as they were being use as a LIKELY image by a lot of advertisements/advertisers.

Women are being used as a sex object that can arouse someone’s desire and attention anytime they may see an ad with this kind of treatment, foreign and western advertisers are the people who use this kind of technique.

Here in the Philippines, I am happy enough that there is a regulating board that will scan and study first the advertisements that were about to come up and penetrate the tri-media, with their largest exposures. PANA or Philippine Association of National Advertisers is the body that responsible for this kind of work, and I am happy to see advertisements that though creatively done and a witty one, still, it is an ethical advertisement. There might have been some issues questioning the credibility and the quality of the screening PANA had in some advertisements, but for me, its good enough, compare to the western advertisements shown in some imported magazines, Philippine advertisements may sometime be foul and revealing but far different and still wholesome and creative from imported ads.

Based on my observation- my biggest observation in ads, Philippine advertisers often use matinee and famous good-looking MALE endorsers in laundry soaps and detergent, like Piolo Pascual in Speed, Vic Sotto in Tide, Michael V. in JOY dishwashing liquid, Ogie Alcasid in Bonux and many other endorsers that seem to be ironic, thinking that the task of household chores are only for women, way back before. But now, advertisers are using these male/masculine endorsers. This may signify a glaring reality here in the country, the there is really an equality among women and men.

Another remark I noticed is the use of graphics and skits as a form of advertisements of some products, like Mc Donald’s- most of the time and also Coca Cola. For me, this signifies the creativity of the Philippine advertisers nowadays, because they were able to catch attention from the market with the use of these IMAGINARY graphics and interpretation.

Though, there might be issues concerning in the down graded quality of our ads here in the Philippines, still I am happy and hopeful in whatever flow our ads have right now, as it compares in the ads as shown in Kilbourne’s film-documentary.

As for my observation with regards to the Philippine television and films, I can see that there is an immergence of the portrayal of the real-life situations and entertainment. Film makers and TV programs producers are creative enough to catch the viewers’ attention not just to entertain but to convey realities/realization and real-life examples that most of the viewers can relate and reflect after watching- mostly in films, while Philippine TV specifically, is being more bold and aggressive when it comes to competition, and battle of new ideas.

With the innovations of technologies and the inevitable liberation that is now taking place, I am glad that we are able to grow more and improve more. I just hope that these changes and the upcoming challenges in our industry will bring more positive changes and improvements to us. That at the end of the day, it’s not always sale and competition on ratings but on what the people or viewers can get on the ads, films and TV shows.