China Bans Pigs !!

Sensational? Got your attention? Surprised? Incredible? Read on...

I picked up this weekend's AWSJ which caried an article by Gordon Fairclough and Geoffrey Fowler (online version requires sub).

Apparently, China Central Television, the nationwide state owned TV network banned all images and spoken references to the animal in commercials, including those tied to the Lunar New Year, China's biggest holiday.

The intent: "to avoid offending Muslims, who consider pigs unclean". "China is a multiethnic country. To show respect to Islam, and upon guidance from higher levels of the government, CCTV will keep any 'pig' images off the TV screen", said a statement issued by the networks ad department to ad agencies.

Several MNCs in the FMCG sector had to suddenly cancel and modify their campaigns, scrambling to adapt to the last minute rule change, altering spots that had included pigs. Nestle, Coca-Cola Co., and Walt Disney are the few big ones mentioned in the article.

The end of the article recalled a misunderstanding 12 years ago (last occurance of the pig zodiac) when some newspapers published a tale in which a pig saves the life of Muhammad. That incident aroused a lot of anger.

Despite this ban, there are still gonna be plenty of pigs in China!. Prints, display and billboards will ensure pigs abound throughout the festive seasons and possibly through the year.

I see the latest move as a gesture of some magnitude to remind and sensitize the general public of the need to respect differences in society. This development is interesting and I value it as an example of sensible governance in an increasingly intolerant world.