This document summarizes a study on Malaysian adolescents' views of controversial advertising. The study surveyed 300 Malaysian teenagers about their perceptions of controversial products/services and manners of advertising. It found that alcoholic products, condoms, and gambling were seen as the most offensive to advertise. Nudity, indecent language, and violence/sexist images were viewed as the most controversial manners of advertising. While some differences existed between males and females, overall Malaysian teenage views on controversial advertising were found to be quite similar regardless of gender. The study provides insights for advertisers on culturally sensitive topics in Malaysia.

1. MALAYSIAN ADOLESCENTS VIEW OF
CONTROVERSIAL ADVERTISING
Professor Dr. Ernest Cyril de Run
Faculty of Economics and Business
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
Abdul Mukmin b Alias
Bank Islam Bhd

2. INTRODUCTION
• Malaysia
• 10% of Malaysians are teenagers
• Globalization
• Increase media use and coverage to cut through the clutter
• Need to be aware of:
• What is controversial, and
• Why is it controversial
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

3. LITERATURE REVIEW
• Controversial advertising denotes 2 things:
• the advertising of a product or service that is deemed to
create awkwardness, humiliation, displeasure, aversion,
outrage or repugnant to a section of society (Waller, 2005)
• the execution of an advertisement, be it for an acceptable
product or one that isn’t, that is seen as controversial (Barnes &
Dotson Jr, 1990).
The list includes Cigarettes, condoms, contraceptives and alcohol
products (Schuster & Powell, 1987; Willson., Aubrey., & West., 1981), products directed at
children and health/sex related products (Fahy, Smart, Pride, & Ferrell, 1995),
feminine Hygiene Products (Rehman & J.R. Brooks., 1987).
Have been grouped into: 1. Gender / Sex related products, 2.
Social / Political groups, 3. Addictive products, and 4 Health
and Care products (Fam, Waller, & Erdogan, 2004).
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

4. LITERATURE REVIEW (CONT)
Others suggest a different typology, based on products, services,
and concepts (Willson., Aubrey., & West., 1981).
The product list includes Personal hygiene, birth control, warfare,
and drugs for terminal illness. Services includes Abortion,
sterilization, venereal disease (VD), mental illness, funeral
directors, and artificial insemination while concepts include
Political ideas, palliative care, unconventional sexual practices,
racial/religious prejudice, terrorism, alcoholic products,
charities / fund raising, cigarettes / tobacco, condoms, female
contraceptives, female underwear, feminine hygiene products,
funeral services, gambling, guns and armaments, male
underwear, pharmaceuticals, political parties, racially extremist
groups, religious denominations, sexual diseases, and weight
loss programs (Shao and Hill, 1994a, Shao and Hill, 1994b, Waller et al., 2002).
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

5. LITERATURE REVIEW (CONT)
Adolescents are defined by age group cohorts.
Agents of change (Spero and Stone, 2004).
Teenagers are an attractive markets segment because they
influences their parents’ spending, spend their own money
currently, and will spend more in the future, and are usually
trendsetters (Shoham A. and Dalakas V. , 2003).
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

6. METHODOLOGY
• There are 2,335,693 teenager’s (15 to 19 years) in Malaysia
(Department of Statistic Malaysia, 2003).
• 300 questionnaires distributed with the help of school teachers
• The questionnaire was developed based on previous studies (Waller
et al., 2002, Shao and Hill, 1994b, Shao and Hill, 1994a).
• 5 point Likert Scale, 1 - not at all controversial to 5 extremely
controversial or 1 - not at all agree to 5 extremely agree
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

7. FINDINGS
Table 1: Respondents Profile
Overall Male Female
Variables Freq % Freq % Freq %
Gender Male 117 49.0 117 100 - -
Female 122 51.0 - - 122 100
Age 15 33 13.8 17 14.5 16 13.1
16 39 16.3 23 19.7 16 13.1
17 37 15.5 17 14.5 20 16.4
18 47 19.7 18 15.4 29 23.8
19 83 34.7 42 35.9 41 33.6
State Sarawak 34 14.2 15 12.8 19 15.6
Sabah 30 12.6 18 15.4 12 9.8
Johor 57 23.8 23 19.7 34 27.9
Selangor 57 23.8 29 24.8 28 23.0
Kuala Lumpur 10 4.2 6 5.1 4 3.3
Negeri Sembilan 3 1.3 1 .9 2 1.6
Kedah 2 .8 2 1.7 - -
Melaka 2 .8 1 .9 1 .8
Kelantan 44 18.4 22 18.8 22 18.0
Religion Muslim 194 81.2 88 75.2 106 86.9
Christian 24 10.0 14 12.0 10 8.2
Hindu 9 3.8 7 6.0 2 1.6
Other 12 5.0 8 6.8 4 3.3
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

8. FINDINGS
Table 2: Means of Offensive Matter for Malaysian Teenagers
Overall Male Female
Variable
Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
Alcohol products 3.69 1.38 3.78 1.20 3.60 1.53
Charities/fund raising 2.03 1.21 2.09 1.22 1.96 1.21
Cigarettes/tobacco 3.32 1.42 3.27 1.38 3.36 1.45
Condoms 3.67 1.38 3.56 1.39 3.77 1.36
Female contraceptives 3.32 1.36 3.21 1.39 3.43 1.34
Female underwear* 3.31 1.45 3.12 1.42 3.49 1.46
Feminine hygiene products 2.71 1.39 2.66 1.39 2.75 1.39
Funeral services 2.20 1.37 2.22 1.40 2.18 1.35
Gambling 3.39 1.61 3.42 1.55 3.37 1.67
Guns & armaments 2.82 1.55 2.91 1.50 2.73 1.60
Male underwear** 3.10 1.46 2.79 1.38 3.39 1.47
Pharmaceuticals 1.67 1.16 1.72 1.17 1.62 1.15
Political parties 2.35 1.34 2.31 1.31 2.39 1.38
Racially extremist groups 3.32 1.56 3.31 1.58 3.34 1.55
Religious denominations 2.90 1.50 2.87 1.55 2.93 1.45
Sexual diseases 2.85 1.52 2.97 1.55 2.72 1.50
Weight loss programs 2.24 1.36 2.14 1.33 2.34 1.38
t-test output depicted as: *Sig difference at 0.05, **Sig difference at 0.01
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

9. FINDINGS (CONT)
Table 3: Means of Offensive Manner for Malaysian Teenagers
Overall Male Female
Variable
Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
Anti-social behavior 2.90 1.34 2.90 1.36 2.91 1.33
Concern for children 2.93 1.45 2.89 1.38 2.97 1.53
Hard sell 3.43 1.32 3.43 1.32 3.43 1.33
Health and safety issues 2.23 1.30 2.32 1.36 2.14 1.25
Indecent language* 4.12 1.11 3.95 1.26 4.29 0.92
Nudity** 4.25 1.10 4.06 1.28 4.43 0.87
Racist image 3.67 1.42 3.75 1.43 3.58 1.42
Sexist image** 3.84 1.22 3.54 1.37 4.12 0.98
Stereotyping of people 3.30 1.36 3.22 1.37 3.38 1.36
Subject too personal* 3.75 1.17 3.57 1.28 3.92 1.03
Violence 3.89 1.20 3.88 1.26 3.89 1.15
Western images 3.74 1.32 3.71 1.38 3.76 1.27
t-test output depicted as: *Sig difference at 0.05, **Sig difference at 0.01
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

10. DISCUSSION
• Top three products/services seen as when advertised to be
offensive are alcoholic products, condoms and gambling.
• Least offensive include the advertising of funeral services,
charities, and pharmaceuticals.
• Overall, the findings support past studies (Schuster and Powell, 1987, Willson and West,
1981).
• This may be due to the fact that most respondents were
Muslim, and religious practices of Islam heavily influence the
mass media in Malaysia (Wee et al., 1995).
• What is more apparent and important here is the general lack of
distinction between male and female respondents in their views
of products/services that are controversial.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

11. DISCUSSION (CONT)
• Top three reasons why advertisements are offensive are nudity,
indecent language and violence. Anti-social behavior and
health and safety issues are the least important reasons.
• Male respondents seem to view that nudity, indecent language
and violence are the main reasons for an advertisement to be
offensive.
• Female respondents do concur with the issue of nudity and
indecent language but have their own view for the third reason;
sexist image.
• Women, even at this tender age, are more concerned of the
properness of the advertisement (Pollay and Gallagher, 1990b).
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

12. CONCLUSION
• This article set out to look at the relationship between what
and why advertisements are seen as controversial for
teenagers in Malaysia.
• The main products and services that were seen as offensive
were alcohol, condoms, and gambling. Female respondents
were also concerned of the advertising of female underwear.
Nevertheless, the findings indicate an overall similarity
between male and female adolescents in their views of what is
controversial.
• This study suggest that nudity, violence, sexist image, and
indecent language are factors to be taken into account when
designing an advertisement.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

13. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
• This paper is based on research at Universiti Malaysia
Sarawak under grant number NF(F01)/14/2008(07). The
author expresses his gratitude to UNIMAS for sponsoring
attendance at the conference.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

14. Thank you
Professor Dr. Ernest Cyril de Run
Faculty of Economics and Business
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia