Manila, Philippines – The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines or known as 4As Philippines has announced the suspension of local creative agency GIGIL’s membership, slated for one year.
This follows after the agency came under fire with the campaign they made for medical-aesthetic clinic Belo Medical Group.
According to 4As Philippines, said ad was found to be in violation of certain terms in their association’s code of ethics.
The ad, titled ‘Pandemic Effect’ features a woman watching a barrage of news while her appearance changes: the skin under her eyes darkens, gets acne, grows facial and body hair, and gains weight. As the ad draws to a conclusion, the woman in focus receives a call from her friend, and catches up with one another.
The ad closes off with the tagline ‘Tough times call for beautiful measures’, alongside a line to encourage customers to book an appointment with Belo Medical Group.
Following the ad release, many netizens have criticized the ad, stating that it was ‘tone deaf’ and body-shamed women in the middle of the pandemic.
Both Belo and GIGIL have taken the ads out of their social media channels by 10 August.
In a statement regarding the 4As Philippines suspension, GIGIL posted on Facebook, “We acknowledge that alongside the unexpected thinking that comes with our work, we must always be mindful of sensitivity and respect.”
They added, “We also assure that this does not in any way hamper our ability to represent and deliver work for clients. Our business continues.”
MARKETECH APAC has reached out to both GIGIL and Belo Medical Group for additional comments.
GIGIL has been known for creating humorous and tongue-in-cheek campaigns for brands such as Julie’s Bakeshop, Unioil, and Allianz. They are also responsible for multiple campaign drives for Netflix Philippines as part of the promotion of the Filipino-based occult series ‘Trese’.
