China's ban on condom advertisement should be lifted, said a report
by Beijing-based Science and Technology Daily Saturday.
They do not have to be brand names to compete for bigger market
share because Chinese condom producers are not allowed to advertise
their products, said the report.
Low-priced products seem to be more competitive. However, a
sampling survey done by the State General Administration of Quality
Supervision and Quarantine shows that only 70 percent of the
examined condoms are quality products, said the report.
In
China, the number of people who suffer from sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs) increases by 20 to 30 percent annually, said the
report, blaming low use rate and poor quality of condoms.
Condom ads first appeared on 80 buses in south China's Guangzhou
City in 1998, when Jissbon, one of the world's largest producers of
reproductive and hygiene products, entered the Chinese market.
The practice was stopped in 1989 according to regulations
promulgated by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce
which strictly prohibit advertising any products meant to cure
sexual dysfunction or help improve people's sex life.
"To encourage the use of condoms does not mean we should give less
attention to moral education," said Professor Fan Minsheng of
Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, quoted by the
newspaper.
Fan said that the concepts of sexual morality and birth control
should be both emphasized. Currently it is more important for
people to learn how to prevent STDs and HIV/AIDS.
The mass media can serve as channel of information on sex
education. "The ban on condom ads in some ways blocks the channel,"
Fan said.
China now has more than 300 condom producers with a total output
value of over one billion yuan (US$ 120 million). The report
predicted the market potential could be as much as 10 billion yuan
(US$ 1.2 billion).
"Advertising is not the goal but a method," said Wang Xuehai,
general manager of Jissbon (Wuhan) Sanitary Product Co., Ltd.
"Advertisement promotes not only sales of products but also
advancement of society."
On
November 28, 1999, China Central
Television, the national television station, aired a public
advertisement for condoms to promote their role in preventing
unwanted pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.
The ad made its point through a cartoon condom that fights off
attacks of HIV/AIDS and STDs while the subtitles read "Avoiding
Unwanted Pregnancy" and "Use a Condom, No Trouble."
The cartoon-style ad disappeared a few days later.
Condom vending machines have been installed on some streets in
urban Beijing and on campuses such as Qinghua
University.
Condom ads are seen in countries such as France, Russia, and the
United States.
(
December 30, 2001)