Asia : Chapter 7

• Date: 01 January 2002
• DOI: 10.10520/EJC74005
• Pages: 54-56
• Author: Adelheid Janse van Rensburg
• Published date: 01 January 2002

CHAPTER 7

ASIA

1. Japan

2. China

3. Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea

4. Conclusion

1. Japan

The Japanese culture does not take kindly to comparative advertising

although it has been recognised as a legal activity since 1986, provided

that the contents are

“impartial and objectively verifiable, and that the competing product

is not subject to slander or libel”.1

The Japanese population however is of the opinion that

“explicit comparative advertising ... is ill-mannered, crass and gen-

erally disruptive to civilized relations between competitors”.2

Yet the technique is sometimes used and there is hope that in future its

use may even be more successful than at present.3

The Pepsi commercial, featuring the rap star MC Hammer, caused havoc

in the advertising industry of Japan. The commercial made its debut in

March 1991 and had to be withdrawn from the market in May 1991, after

only two months. The controversy ignited a debate about the advantages

and disadvantages of this technique. The argument raised by the free

market proponents was that these advertisements will increase the flow of

information to consumers and will also allow new entrants into the market

with greater ease. The younger generation Japanese was all in favour of

the commercial, but unfortunately the advertising regulators were against

it. They believed it to be slanderous and deceptive.4Coke succeeded in

their plea that the commercial must not be broadcast, and four Tokyo sta-

tions refused to continue its broadcast. In August the commercial was

back on the air when two stations decided to continue its broadcast on

condition that the cans must not be Coke cans and an audio reference to

Coke must be bleeped.5

The Japanese were set against comparisons and were also strong believ-

ers in harmony. In 1988 they even criticized the President of Nissan Motor

54

1 Tom Ormonde as quoted by Beller 1995: 937.

2Id.

3 Maskery 1992: 552.

4 Beller 1995: 937.

5 Maskery 1992: 552.