Taiwan wants a better apology for offensive ad

Unsatisfied with Diageo Great Britain Ltd's public apology issued in Taiwan over an offensive advertisement, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) said yesterday that the ministry has asked Diageo to take the same measures in London, where the alcohol company placed the ads.

On Dec. 16, Diageo, the world's largest brewer and distiller, put up Smirnoff vodka advertisements at various subway stations in London.

The advertisements read: "Warning / This gift will break down /on Christmas morning / replacement parts available from service center / Box No. 260 Taiwan / Allow 365 working days for delivery."

"This incident happened in London, not Taiwan; so we've asked the company to issue its public apology [to Taiwan] in London in the same way it did here.

The ministry wants the apologies posted in the same locations and same sizes where the original advertisements were first placed," Chien said yesterday.

Taiwan's representative office in the UK said the advertisements denigrated Taiwan's products, as they implied that products from Taiwan are shoddy and that customer service is poor. The office protested to the company on Dec. 17, the day after the ads appeared.

"The company responded to our protest on the Dec. 19 and said that the advertisements would be removed immediately, at a date no later than Dec. 26," Chien said. "The company also apologized by publishing a public apology in Taiwan in various Chinese-language newspapers."

In both Chinese and English, Diageo's public apology in the newspapers read: "Diageo Great Britain is withdrawing a recent outdoor advertisement .... We greatly regret the offence that this advertisement has caused to the Taiwanese people .... This advertisement is in breach of the Diageo Codes of Marketing and should never have appeared."