Mediacorp just can’t seem to avoid the spotlight when it comes to race these days. Barely out from under the furor caused by the recent brownface controversy around their since-pulled e-payment campaign, a new Twitter thread looking at their advertising arm’s website has them squarely back in the discussion about Singaporean attitudes toward race.
At the center of the most recent flap is the way the company’s advertising arm features audience profiles that break down the cultural differences and spending habits for Singapore’s Malay and Indian communities but not the Chinese, something a number of people see as implicitly suggesting that ethnic Chinese are the nation’s default race.
Twitter user @PauriahCarey got the ball rolling when he took a tongue-in-cheek potshot at the profiles, posting on Twitter: “This Mediacorp Advertising very funny one, got profiles for ‘Malay community’ and ‘Indian community’ but not ‘Chinese community.’ If I want to reduce the entire Chinese population to stereotypes that I’ll use to target their dollars, then how???”
this mediacorp advertising very funny one, got profiles for “malay community” and “indian community” but not “chinese community”. if i want to reduce the entire chinese population to stereotypes that i’ll use to target their dollars then how??? pic.twitter.com/vALVaiPnhS
— Paul (@pauriahcarey) September 3, 2019
He later added: “Like … I’m not seeing things am I??? Everyone who’s not ‘Malay community’ or ‘Indian community’ is Chinese??? It’s not that we’re being too sensitive but (come on), why are the Chinese people the default lmao.”
We checked out Mediacorp Advertising’s website for ourselves and found nine different types of target audience groups being marketed to potential clients: the Malay community, the Indian community, youth, premier (aka rich people), silver (the elderly), men, women, parents, youth and the PMEB (professionals, managers, engineers, and businessmen).
There was no segment for the Chinese community but, tellingly, the faces of all the target groups not specifically labeled “Malay” or “Indian” are East Asian (i.e. no elderly Malays, no rich Chinese).
@PauriahCarey also highlighted how Mediacorp had written up a more “diverse” audience profile for people who watch the Chinese-language Channel 8 as compared to those who watch Malay-language channel Suria and Tamil-language channel Vasantham.
“(The) demographic watching Channel 8 got so diverse, got elderly, men, women, youth, parents, professionals all … (while) demographic watching Suria and Vasantham only got ‘Malay community’ and ‘Indian community’,” he said.
A quick look at Mediacorp Advertising’s website shows that to be more or less true:
In case you were wondering how Mediacorp describes the Malay and Indian community in terms of targeting ad dollars, we’ve got you covered.
Malays are “family-oriented” people who “value traditions” and “prefer a regular pace of work and life” while being “concerned about finances and want to plan for retirement,” according to the web page.
They also said that Malays are “concerned about health and wellness,” typically “learn about new products and promotions through advertisements,” and earn a monthly household income of S$4,652 (about US$3,400).
The Indian community, meanwhile, are also a “family-oriented” bunch who “value traditions” as well as being “peer-driven,” “financially prudent,” tending to “shop for value and comfort,” and finding “peer acceptance” important.
Indians also mostly earn a monthly household income of S$6,651, the website said.
One user suggested those descriptions were generic enough they could apply to many races.
A @hadi_abd92 tweeted: “The funny thing is most of these bullet points can be applied to any race. Not why you’d corner yourselves by making it seem like these traits apply to specific communities.”
But @PauriahCarey pointed out that the bit about Malays preferring a “regular pace of work and life” echoes the common stereotype that Malays are lazy, citing the well-known critique by Malaysian politician Syed Hussein Alatas.
He said: “‘They prefer a regular pace of life” ljalskmdalksadlsaml Myth Of The Lazy native by Syed Hussein Alatas says hello (sic).”
Meanwhile, another Twitter user pointed out how Mediacorp had left out other races in Singapore entirely.
“I guess Eurasians and other mixed-race folk are non-existent to Mediacorp,” said user @jobot935.
In response to Coconuts Singapore’s queries, Mediacorp clarified that while the advertising page reflects a range of demographics, it is not “all-encompassing.”
“Our platforms reach 9 in 10 people in Singapore weekly across different profiles. The advertising page reflects a range of demographics but is not all-encompassing. For example, we also target segments of diverse interests such as sports, travel, dining and automotive. Our wide range of platforms allow advertisers to reach both mass market and targetted segments according to their marketing needs,” Mediacorp said in the statement.
Editor’s note: We have removed the Twitter user’s name and details of his occupation.
Related stories:
Everything old is new again: Singapore’s long history with blackface
Mediacorp actor Dennis Chew says he is ‘deeply sorry’ over ‘brownface’ ad
