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Cape Town - A new public service advertisement playfully urging Chinese travellers to be well-behaved travelling 'pandas' abroad, backfired when Chinese citizens took major offence when the ad was aired on national television.
It was aired during peak time on Chinese Central Television (CCTV), during the recent National Day holidays in China, reports The Wall Street Journal. The advertisement was produced in conjunction with ad agency DDB China.
It depicts various life-size "pandas" on the world-famous Sydney Harbour sidewalk in Australia, and concludes with the slogan, “Be a good panda, be a good tourist.”
Click here to watch the controversial video
However well the intention, the tongue-in-the-cheek ad was not received light-heartedly by the Chinese public. The upset 'pandas' took to a popular social blog, Sina Weibo, to air and share their griefs. They're upset mostly because they believe that misbehaving travellers are in the minority and that the ad generalises and glorifies unpleasant stereotypes.
After the public outcry, DDB responded on its blog saying, "By using these images, CCTV would like to remind Chinese people, "Do not forget the whole world is watching us," so as to make people aware of being civilized while traveling.".
The National Tourism Administration of China seems to be on a mission to improve the status of their citizens abroad. The 'Be a good panda' advertisement comes after a recently published a guidebook which gives civil travelling 'tips' like, "Do not pick your nose and teeth in public", for example.
Here's hoping to expect plenty of 'Good Pandas' coming to SA this summer...
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