its not about winning, its about how not to lose.

the headlines today read that the government agrees to ban fast-food advertisement in order to promote a more healthy lifestyle for the people. Okay, maybe not the exact words, but that what it meant.

Advertising has been the most essential part of selling a product. I know so. I studied business. And not only with the business background, even with friends in the TV Commercial industry, I know how important and profit-making advertising is to companies. Its indeed about selling your brand, and creating a mindset.

For nearly a century now that we call chocolate powder as Milo, coffee as Nescaffe and toothpaste as Colgate. Its already created in our mindset, and its done through advertising.

So, when we say burgers, we automatically refer to McDonalds, fried chicken to KFC, rootbear to A&W and cola drink to Coca Cola or Pepsi. Its a mindset. And creating this mindset, advertising have targeted us from the beginning, since we're kids. Thank you Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders, that A&W bear (I don't know what he's called) and whoever invented Coke and Pepsi. heh.

today, the society tries to live in denial. The perfect diet, the perfect body, the gym lifestyle. This should direct to being healthy. Government spent RM100million for a 5 year campaign on anti-smoking called Tak Nak but in the mean time, still gives license to tobacco companies, since it happens to generate good tax revenue for the government. And now, as for banning the fast-food chain advertisements, yet the Government will continue allowing the franchises of these chains to operate in Malaysia, as for the tax revenues generated is contributing a lot to the country's reserves.

So, who is losing and who is winning?

I'd say, everyone wins. I mean, everyone.

Advertising have been a great expense to any company, and as much as it is creating a brand mindset for the customers, companies tend to cut off some of their advertising expenses. So, with the new regulation, companies will find other cost-efficient means to promote their brands. And as far as food goes, you don't have to advertise, people will always come. And even if they stop having media advertisements, they can always opt for other channels of promotions. Especially when they've created their brand in the mindsets of many, especially within the simple-minded society of Malaysia.

The Government will gain respect from the people, who have fought for their rights in wanting to ban such advertisement, in order to promote healthy lifestyle. Or so they will think, and we'll see how much respect can give them such pride to think they're the best government in the world.

The people will live in denial, as how they'd choose to be. They will say how they loathe the fast-food advertisements, and secretly crave for a Big Mac or a Chicken McDeluxe. They still drink cokes in functions where only liqour is served. They will go to the gym, have this healthy lifestyle, and yet have secret cravings. Kids will grow up thinking these are all sinful food items and find themselves wanting to try.

The advertising agencies and TVC industry will also gain in order that they can pitch for that big government healthy lifestyle account and they will be credited if they themselves promote healthy living in the advertisements that they make.

Social responsibility will have a very bright future in Malaysia. And maybe one day, we will have a Ministry in Social Responsibility.

But at the end of the day, hypocrisy will rise and everyone will have a huge tendency of living in denial.

So, cut them off, ban them, save the lives of 26million people in Malaysia from the devil of fast foods. Let we all eat slow foods with lots of oil and coconut milk and solid food that will create a HEALTHY body.

We'll see what other "improvements" our current government will bring in the future. We'll see we'll be the healthy population they wanted to create in Malaysia.

For the time being, I'll hold on to all my guilty pleasures, and those contain of lots of caffein, nicotine and all the things the government will pretend to ban.

And this is a special note from a coke-addict, you can shut the whole world off, but I'll still find my coke even if I'm blind. Hahaha.


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