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| Tuesday, 28 September 2004 |
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Marketing communications that exploit religious imagery
The latest example is the film 'Hollywood Buddha' which caused uproar among Buddhists in many countries, including Sri Lanka. The outrage stemmed from an advertising image of the film posted on the movie's website showing the director sitting on a Buddhist statue. The director subsequently withdrew the advertisement and apologised to all Buddhists saying he deeply regretted any pain he had caused. Commenting on the issue, a leading Thera said that the religious images should be used only if it is to show something that is a good example and not twisted images that are insulting. He further added that the Government should take action to ensure such incidents do not occur in future. Sri Lanka has already taken the initiative to muster international support against the commercial exploitation of Buddhist symbols. Several instances of such exploitation of the Buddha image including on swimwear for women advertised on the Internet, candles manufactured in the form of the Buddha and compact discs with the Buddha's image. Foreign Minister informed the diplomatic representatives that the Sri Lankan Embassies in their respective countries would be in constant touch with the respective Foreign Ministries in order to exchange information about the commercial use of the Buddha image. It was agreed that the Governments present at the meeting would communicate with their respective Missions to UNESCO in Paris to work together to request UNESCO to bring to the notice of the international community the commercial exploitation of the Buddha image urging that concerted international action be taken to persuade manufacturers of such items to desist from acts that are deeply offensive to Buddhists all over the world. New ban In the meantime, Customs officials and police have been told to seize Buddha Bar music and bikinis with Buddha images. The Attorney General ordered the seizures after a Buddhist monk petitioned the Supreme Court to ban bikinis with Buddha images. The monk argued that prohibitions should also be placed on candles in the shape of the Buddha and Buddha Bar albums, which carry pictures of the Buddha. Buddha Bar music is mostly instrumental lounge music, which originates from a Paris nightclub that has become so popular that similar establishments have opened up all over the world. The court said no new ban was needed. But it accepted the Attorney General's arguments that police and customs should strictly enforce existing Sri Lankan laws which prevent the exploitation of religious symbols. Confusing ads The exploitation of religious images is not confined to Buddhism only. There were quite a number of instances where Christians also faced the same problem. On Australian television, there was an ad featuring a man climbing out of his rowboat (where he's been fishing) and walking on water to get to his McCain's frozen pizza. A poster for a bike lock company shows Moses coming down Mt Sinai holding two bike U-locks instead of the stone tablets, to promote the 'First Commandment in bike security'. A surf wear company Mambo has posters and t-shirts espousing 'Mambo theology', with Jesus feeding the 5000 at the footy with meat pies. We've had bands called MC 900 Foot Jesus and the Jesus and Mary Chain and The Super Jesus. All these show that in our supposedly post-Christian western world, religious symbols, imagery and language seem to be omnipresent in all facets of popular culture: music, clothing, art, television, movies and even advertising. Exploitation We must remember that some aspects of religion are so sacred to believers that it is rarely going to be acceptable to use them in marketing without causing serious offence. For some, the linking of the central tenets or most sacred symbols and icons of a particular faith with unrelated commercial messages is likely to outrage believers and cause offence. To take a broad example from Christianity, advertisers should be particularly careful when using images of the crucifixion, especially when that depiction could be construed as mocking. The advertisers should be aware that the dismissive or irreverent depiction of sacred symbols, such as spiritual figures or gods (e.g. Buddha, Vishnu or the Prophet Mohammed), sacred texts (e.g. the Koran), holy places, rituals or festivals, can all cause serious or widespread offence. The use of other aspects that are less central to the core of a religion e.g. Jataka stories or many familiar stories from the Bible, which are part of the cultural 'furniture', are less likely to cause offence. Advertisers should treat the symbols, images or beliefs of all religions with care but should be particularly aware of the possibility of causing serious or widespread offence to those of faiths with deeper commitments. Overtly sexualised images can also cause offence to some religious groups; for example, nudity on buses and bus stops in strictly orthodox Buddhist areas. Advertisers should be mindful of how they portray sex, nudity and women if marketing communications, especially posters, are likely to be seen by people with strong religious belief. Furthermore, linking sex or sexualised images with religion may cause particular offence; for example, despite the tolerance towards the depiction of men and women of the Church, portraying nuns in a sexual manner is inappropriate. Advertisers should also take care not to link gratuitously sexualised images or sexual innuendo with religions sensitive to the depiction of women. Marketing communications that seem to exploit religious imagery for purely commercial purposes can be problematic but the most offence is likely to be felt when the product itself conflicts with the beliefs of that faith. For example, it is unlikely to be acceptable to use Catholic references to advertise birth control products, Hindu or Buddhist symbols to advertise meat products or for Muslim imagery to advertise alcohol. Moral standards There is nothing intrinsically good or intrinsically evil about advertising. It can be tasteful and in conformity with high moral standards, and occasionally even morally uplifting, but it also can be vulgar and morally degrading. Particularly, there have been many problems relating to advertising that treats of religion or pertains to specific issues with a moral dimension. Commercial advertisers sometimes include religious themes or use religious images or personages to sell products. It is possible to do this in tasteful, acceptable ways, but the practice is offensive when it involves exploiting religion or treating it flippantly. |
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Produced by Lake House |
President Kumaratunga in her recent address to UN General Assembly
urged the UN to call for due respect for religious symbols and practices,
which would be a fitting contribution for the UN's own initiative on a
'dialogue among civilizations'. She added that the recent phenomenon of
Buddhist symbols being used for commercial purposes has caused pain of
mind to Buddhists.
