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Indonesian Broadcasting Commission Against Shopee's BLACKPINK Commercial: Angering Fans

12/12/2018

Shopee is an e-commerce platform headquartered in Singapore, popular in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia.

To commercialize the platform's “Shopee Road to 12.12 Birthday Sale” program, it had Korean K-pop girl group BLACKPINK featuring their customized version of the hit single Ddu-Du Ddu-Du as advertisement.

This attempt drew some backlash in Indonesia.

Many Indonesians think the commercial is a moral danger, with Maimon Herawati, a journalism lecturer, initiated an online petition to have the ad taken off the air. Herawati appealed the KPI (Indonesian Broadcasting Commission) to have the ad pulled and asked Indonesian parents to boycott Shopee through a petition on Change.org.

She said that:

"A group of women wearing skimpy outfits. What kind of subconscious values do we want to instill in our children with this vulgar ad that flaunts aurat [intimate parts]? The clothes do not even cover the thighs. Movement and expression are provocative. It is really far from Pancasila values."
BLACKPINK's commercial that created the backlash

Posted on the KPI's official website and reportedly signed by KPI head Yuliandre Darwis, the letter said that both the commercial and program failed to adhere to decency norms as stated in the Broadcasting Code of Conduct and Program Standards (P3SPS).

The letter also said that a number of women singing and dancing while wearing little clothing in the commercial and program potentially violated Article 9 (1) of the P3SPS.

KPI commissioner and coordinator of broadcasting programs Hardly Stefano called for producers to adhere to "brand safety in the making of commercials and promotions, as to not evoke negative perceptions."

"Should we find similar programs to those mentioned in the warning letter, the KPI will impose sanctions based on existing regulations," he added.

KPI then sent warning letters to Indonesia's 11 television stations to stop the broadcasting of Shopee's BLACKPINK commercial and program.

In response, Shopee Indonesia’s country brand manager Rezki Yanuar has released an official statement:

"It has been our main priority to put forward input from our loyal users for the company’s progress and the general comfort of our community at large, especially relating to the whole online shopping experience."

"We have learned and listened to the complaints regarding our advertisements that are often played ahead of our birthday sale campaign and we appreciate the feedback as this acts as a very useful input for our future actions. However, the aforesaid advertisement had been granted permission from the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI). We will always follow all existing regulations from every stakeholder in Indonesia and every country where we operate."

"In response to the feedback that we received, we have worked closely with all parties responsible in managing the airing time to be more appropriate to the audience as a whole. We have also learned that the KPI has sent warning letters to TV stations broadcasting our ad. In accordance with the upcoming Hari Belanja Online (Online Shopping Day) campaign, the advertisement will be replaced with our new Shopee 12.12 as per today, Dec. 11."

This was to the dismay of the group's fans.

In response, a fan of BLACKPINK started a petition for the KPI to not stop the ad on the same day. K-pop fans in Indonesia helped spread the word through Twitter, firing back to KPI's tweet, with most users denouncing its decision and declaring the commission was unfair.

BLACKPINK was scheduled to perform in ICE BSD, South Tangerang, on January. 20, 2019 as part of their first world tour, "In Your Area." The group gained popularity after the release of their Square Up extended play record in June. The Ddu-Du Ddu-Du single was included in Billboard Hot 100, as one of the highest ever rank given for an all-female K-pop group.