Title: Attitudes towards sexual images in Chinese advertisements by religion

Authors: David S. Waller; Kim-Shyan Fam

Addresses: Marketing Discipline Group, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia ' Schools of Marketing and International Business, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract: During the Cultural Revolution both advertising and various forms of religion were banned, while since the 1970s the opening up of the Chinese market has seen an increase in international organisations advertising and the officially atheist government recognising that religion as an important element in peoples' lives. This paper looks at the results of a survey of 603 people (497 Atheists and 106 Buddhists) to determine their level offence towards nudity and underwear images in advertising, and ways to reduce the offensiveness. The results will assist companies in becoming more responsible for the images that they show in China.

Keywords: advertising; China; product controversy; sexual images; religion; atheists; Buddhists; offence levels; nudity; underwear images; offensiveness; religious sensitivities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCCM.2015.070356

International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management, 2015 Vol.3 No.4, pp.413 - 425

Received: 07 Feb 2015
Accepted: 27 May 2015
Published online: 02 Jul 2015 *

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