Saturday, April 12, 2008


SM MALLS ARE ANTI-FILIPINO


I've asked this before and I'll ask this again. Why do SM malls feature Caucasian models on their posters and billboards to promote local brands made to appear imported? This certainly gives the wrong impression that white people are more acceptable and more pleasing to look at when it comes to selling their wares, and that the color 'kayumanggi' may not endorse too well in comparison. No wonder whitening creams are the top selling items these days. It's because of ant-Filipino culprits like SM that prefer to display white-skinned people instead of the beautiful brown. Mr. Sy, revamp your advertising department. They're anti-Filipino. Otherwise, you might as well build another SM mall in the Spratlys.

3 comments:

Deany Bocobo said...

what have you got against Caucasians? haha. I disagree about SM malls. You have got to see how for example SM Baguio is transforming the lives not only of the Cordillera peoples, but all the neighboring lowlands as well. A taxi driver told me that thousands have been flocking there from the lowlands every weekend, staying overnight and shopping at the most beautiful SM mall in the country, thus boosting the local economy as well,presumably as those they come from. I think SM malls perform a great service to ordinary folks.

Leslie Bocobo said...

Dean, SM can always be more pro-Filipino by using local models/talents to endorse their products via their billboards and posters. As it is, 90% of its talents are not at all local. Now why is that? Dapat sana magpakatotoo naman ang SM. Nothin' against Caucasians. Against some of Sy's choices yes.

Jasper Greek Lao Golangco said...

greetings... i would like to humbly offer some insight into this supposedly pro-caucasian ad materials of the SM...
to be honest, i have no solid sympathy for SM since i believe they have contributed to the fall of many small local businesses in whichever province they choose to set up in.
however, as a person who has worked on some of SM's creative materials in the past (and still does on occasion), i would like to clarify that the use of caucasian models initially came about since there were more caucasian stock photos to choose from in such photo banks as getty, dai-ichi, and the former image bank. it would have cost 12k to rent or purchase an image, which unfortunately had caucasians. but it would have costed up to 20-30k to pay for local models, photographers, photo processing, image enhnacements, etc.
so it was mostly economics more than anything.
but nowadays, they still don't want to have to spend for local models all the time. but having said that, they do have locals modelling in the occasional seasonal material...

again, i am not pro-SM. just stumbled upon this and chose to clarify.