[url]Snickers encourages Chinese kids to fight in public; Parents not impressed.[/url]
Snickers’ TVC (created by Nitro Shanghai) featuring a classroom fight was shown regularly on major TV channels and Mobile TV in public vehicles in China. Soon after, Chinese kids began copy the “fighting with chocolate weapons” featured in the ad for fun in school, in public, and at home.
“Unlimited vitality beats hunger”
Chinese parents and teachers can’t help but show obvious dissatisfaction, while experts point out the ad is against basic moral standards and should be shut down as soon as possible. A Sina poll was launched to gather overall reactions to the ad. 1,259 votes and even more comments on the ads morality were quickly tallied.
Opinion’s of the ad’s morality is mixed; with a slight tilt toward the conservative.
Charlie and the Chocolate World War III
Mr. Liu, father of a 10-year-old boy, frowned at the ad, “Since it’s a food ad, why not spread more nutrition value of the food for kids’ healthy growth?”He told the journalist that his son in primary school had been keen on brandishing a piece of chocolate whenever felt bored at home. Last time his grandpa came to visit but got smashed by chocolate while entering the door. “What’s the idea of asking kids to copy it? I can’t see any positive value.”
“I took my son and nephew taking a bus, and there the Mobile TV was displaying it. They started imitating, pushing and pulling each other right on the spot. The bus was already crowded, and passengers nearby all stared at me. It made me feel so sorry.” Mrs. Zhang also told the journalist that her 7-year-old son and 9-year-old nephew were quite naughty. It was okay if they just made troubles at home, but the ad indeed instigated kids to make a row in public.
Teachers support censorship; say Snickers ad has “misled” kids.
“It’s very funny, very 无厘头(making fun in a meaningless way), interesting.” During the journalist’s interview, some secondary school and primary school students thought the ad of Snickers adopted popular Japan and South Korea Style, which excited and impressed them. When some classmates imitated the fight in the ad, others would LOL.
In the mean time, quite a few teachers disagreed with the ad, “Isn’t this obviously misleading kids?” Zhao, a teacher of a model secondary school complained, “If I see students fighting in the classroom, I would by all means stop them. But the ad is actually all about fighting, choosing classroom as the location and even the scene of chairs all kicked down.” Zhao said, although an ad targeted at kids couldn’t perfectly integrate artistic quality and education, at least it shouldn’t propagandize wrong stuff.
Experts considered the ad unscrupulous
Jiansheng Tang, deputy director of Legal Study Dept. of City Consumer Protection Committee, stated that “Creativity goes with ethic”, according to students’ Code of Conduct, fighting is definitely forbidden, not to mention in a classroom.
It was apparent that the ad targeted at kids, who are characteristic in poor judging ability and strong imitation ones, which made their copying acts inevitable. Tang expressed that Advertising Law contains items as “comply with social morality and professional ethics”, “must not harm the physical and mental health of minors”. The ad was against these basic moral standards – fighting being a bad deed is acquainted to all, but the ad still played it up, which was really kinda “hateful”. Therefore, he appealed for the shutting down of the ad, returning kids a pure audiovisual environment.
A video of (What I think is) the add, and the official page.
http://www.littleredbook.cn/2009/04/21/snickers-chinese-fight-public/
Tue 21 Apr 2009 - 15:38 
