The ‘What’s Your Mix’ Bayo Ad Campaign

UPDATE:  As of today, June 7, 2012 Bayo apologizes for their insensitive campaign and decided to take down their billboards!  clap clap clap!  the power of social media/cyber bullies  LOLZ!  Bayo takes down their #whatsyourmix campaign  bow!

When I passed by a mall yesterday, I saw a Bayo poster saying 80% Chinese 20 % Filipino, then I turned my head and saw another poster of Jasmine Curtis Smith saying 50% Australian 50% Filipino.   I walked away and never thought of it again  that time.  When I got home and went online, I read violent reactions about the latest Bayo Ad Campaign.    I decided to look for more information about the What’s Your Mix Bayo Ad campaign and this is what I found out:

•  50% thinks its offensive and distasteful.  The ad sends the wrong signal*
• 15% think the campaign is Bravo*
• 10% doesn’t give a damn to stoopid clothing campaign brands*
• 10% thinks if you don’t like the brand then don’t buy the product and vice versa *
• 10% thinks if you don’t like the model then don’t the buy the brand and vice versa *
• 5 %  thinks They finally  joined the “foreigner” endorsers bandwagon!*

Before I read the manifesto, I was one of the 5%. Why not the models are gorgeous in the photos.  But after I read the entire manifesto for the What’s Your Mix campaign I am now one of the 50% of those who think that the ad is distasteful and offensive and  racist.

This passage on their ad campaign manifesto made me think so:

“Nationalities, moods, personalities and of course your fashion pieces. Call it biased, but the mixing and matching of different nationalities with Filipino blood is almost a sure formula for someone beautiful and world class.”

Bayo, you are totally bias !   You are sending the wrong message by saying that mixing and matching of different nationalities with Filipino blood is a sure formula for someone beautiful and world class!  What a stupid concept.  What a racist concept.  The Bayo Ad campaign is definitely talking about being racist and sublimely encouraging the young people (which is your market for your brand) to find a foreigner husband/wife to create world-class half-breed children.

Do not ever compare clothes with race.

Bayo may have good intentions with their ad campaign but it was executed very poorly.  

The Bayo Ad Campaign What’s Your Mix manifesto is not available at I Love Bayo Facebook page but has gone viral already.    I also saw post by Jenni Eperson and Chuvaness What’s Your Mix post about the campaign at their page in Facebook but Jenni Eperson’s post on Mixing It Up was not available when I last checked it before I click publish on this post.

You can read the full text of the Bayo What’s Your Mix ad campaign manifesto in this photo:

Bayo used to be so proud to be 100% Filipino brand. Now they seem to have veered away from being proud Filipino. Glorifying other nationalities and race will make their brand more popular and “world-class”.

How about you, what’s your take on this ad campaign? Are you 50%, 15%, 10% or 5%?

Stay gorgeous everyone!