Back in the Philippines, Bayo has always been a very successful brand for Filipino women. They have established an image of Filipina (Filipino women) pride and strength. Almost every mall in the capital city, Manila, features a Bayo store. However, recent controversies arise when they launched their “What’s You Mix?” campaign.

 

This campaign, which was planned to encourage consumers to be more daring and playful with their fashion styles, sparked negative responses and backlash. Consumers questioned the ethics of this marketing campaign. Ordinary Filipino commuters were puzzled about the advertisement’s message. Do we have to be a mix of other nationality to be considered beautiful? Is race a matter of mixing and matching?

Bayo then responded to explain their campaign by posting this advertisement on their social media websites. However, sadly, consumers branded it as racist and offensive.

 

 

Netizens have also questioned if the Philippines’ Ad Standards Council (ASC) should move against supposedly racist ads. According to the ASC Code of Ethics, “Advertisements shall not directly or indirectly disparage, ridicule, criticize or attack any natural or juridical person, groups of persons or any sector of society, especially on the basis of gender, social or economic class, religion, ethnicity, race or nationality.” In the end, Bayo gave a public apology and put down the ads. (Click Here for their apology)

The “What’s Your Mix?” campaign relates to an ethical issue in marketing where advertisements can be hurtful and harmful. However, I believe that there is nothing wrong or unethical with the campaign. The marketers of Bayo tread into deep waters when they decided to go with a sensitive subject of race and nationality, but their message was created, clearly, not to discriminate against Filipinos. For me, it actually elevates the status of a Filipino by saying that no matter what racial mix you have, with Filipino blood in you, you are beautiful. Miscommunication is a big reason why this campaign fell apart. Bayo wanted to show that their new style of clothing is more daring and playful, thus the mix and match, but they failed to emphasize this in their advertisements and ended up maybe hurting the feelings of some consumers who focused on the mixing and matching of nationalities.

Bayo built a brand that promotes Filipino beauty, talent, and creativity. The company prides itself for supporting Filipino women empowerment. Hopefully, in the future, they can build stronger and sensitive campaigns, knowing how their market can react.