Tan’s endorsement of Pond’s marked the first time the brand used a celebrity in China, and one of the first times the Unilever product has done so worldwide. When asked why Ogilvy, who is behind the TVC campaign, would choose such a controversial actress to represent a conservative brand, a source admits, “ No-one understands the thinking behind that.”
Reports that Tan has been banned from mainland media by SARFT have circulated on Chinese blogs for several days. While the producer of the controversial “Lost in Beijing”, Fang Li, was recently banned from producing films in China, this would be the first time in recent years that an actor has been targeted - marking a departure from SARFT policy.
The Pond’s ad, which features Tan preparing herself for a film shooting, has been pulled on some Chinese stations but is still running on others. At press time, it could be seen on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq-CRgoLJpU
SARFT has been the centre of controversy recently, with rumours circulating that popular video-sharing site Toudou might be shut down for excessive pornographic content. “Lust, Caution”, notably, was controversial both for its explicit sex scenes and for its portrayal of “traitors” in a positive light.
Heavily censored in PRC cinemas, it remains Tang Wei’s only widely distributed role to date, excepting the Pond’s TVC.
