Banned!: Sexual Advertisements in Pakistan

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis:  This study examines public attitudes towards sexual health advertisements in Pakistan. STD rates and population are increasing at epidemic rates in the country and measures to stem the growth have been met with strong resistance. Citing conservative societal norms, the government media regulatory body has banned several sexual health advertisements that otherwise were an effective tool for promoting contraceptive messages. However, these perceived norms are contrary to the general viewing habits of Pakistani media audiences in current times, as they have consistently shown a penchant for consuming uncensored Hollywood movies and U.S. TV shows. Leading to the hypothesis that the general population in Pakistan was more accepting of sexual health messages than what the regulator believed.  

Methods:  The study tested four condom TV-advertisements, two of which had been banned by the regulatory authority for content deemed offensive to public, while the other two ran uninterrupted. The study used a sample of n=150 college age young adults between the ages of 18-24, the most at-risk population in Pakistan, and also the largest demographic segment in the nation. The respondents were shown the four advertisements sequentially without  pause in randomized order. After viewing the advertisements, the participants were administered a questionnaire gauging the level of offense they felt while viewing the advertisements. The questionnaire used a 5-point Likert to allow participants to rate keywords adopted from past literature on the marketing of offensive products, and the Pakistani media regulatory authority’s code of conduct. The respondents were then asked to envisage watching the advertisement with strangers, friends, or family and report if their perception of offense changed with each hypothetical scenario.

Results:  The study found that said regulatory actions were inconsistent with the attitudes of respondents as there was no significant difference between those advertisements that were banned and those that were allowed to run. However when presented with the hypothetical scenarios of watching the advertisements with strangers, friends, and family, the levels of offense changed significantly in each scenario. If watched with friends, none of the advertisements were deemed unacceptable and outright indecent, when watched with strangers two advertisements that were actually allowed to run uninterrupted were deemed more offensive than the others that were banned, and finally when watched with family all four advertisements were deemed offensive. 

Conclusions:  The results of this study show that the media regulatory actions on sexual health advertisements in Pakistan are not aligned with actual public perception of offensiveness of these advertisements

Implications for research and/or practice:  Such results encourage sexual health organizations not just in Pakistan but other similar conservative countries to challenge regulatory action against their efforts. The findings also allow for policy makers to introduce regulation that is more aligned to actual public needs rather than perceived ones. Furthermore, the fact that the advertisements registered low offence until imagined being watched in the presence of family; points to the need for sexual health organizations to move away from mass media in conservative societies and choose better delivery channels like social media, which can be consumed in privacy, and shared amongst friends.