Brands pull ads over Easy Finder controversy

<P>HONG KONG Media agencies have reported at least a 10 per cent drop in advertising sales for Easy Finder, since the magazine ran a controversial cover featuring semi-naked shots of singer Gillian Chung Yan-tung in late August.</P> <P>The pictures were taken without the Cantopop star's knowledge as she changed backstage during a concert in Malaysia, and the singer has since filed a writ against the magazine. The cover has sparked outrage and a number of formal complaints in Hong Kong, with many decrying the stunt as an invasion of privacy.</P> <P>According to Carat, in the first issue since the controversy broke, full-page advertisements dropped almost 15 per cent, although growth in horizontal and vertical half pages has steadied this decline to 10 per cent overall.</P> <P>"Easy Finder has gone beyond sexy because it is infringing personal privacy and is stepping on commonly accepted moral standards," said Stewart Li, managing director, Carat Hong Kong.</P> <P>"We have had a few clients pull bookings to avoid negative association, although we believe the (advertising) drop will be even more significant for the next issues." </P> <P>Other media agency chiefs said Easy Finder has  been struggling to attract advertising for years. Although numbers have been solid, it's believed the change in direction to a greater emphasis on sex appeal has hurt the title.</P> <P>"Even before the recent case, advertisers were placing fewer ads," said KK Tsang, CEO, GroupM Hong Kong.<BR>He added that the title's drop in advertising could also be attributed to increased competition from other titles in recent years. </P> <P>But Tsang noted Easy Finder's reluctance to speak publically about the incident has also not helped its case. <BR>"That certainly affected the image of the publication and the perception of advertisers and advertising agencies," he said.</P> <P>Easy Finder did not respond to requests for comment.<BR></P>