Advertising agency’s Jozi billboard causes quite a stir, ASA dismisses ‘racism’ claims
Empowerment is not racism, the Advertising Standards Authority agrees.
Back in February the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a complaint regarding a billboard – erected by advertising agency BWD – with the words “100% Black Owned Advertising Agency. Some things are better at 100%.”
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Not long after, the agency was accused of racism and reported to the ASA, but the body ruled that the billboard did not constitute racism.
“Transformation processes, such as B-BBEE, are the result of government policy and prescriptions and are aimed at improving the overall wealth and prosperity of those sectors of the community that did not previously have the means to create their own prosperity,” the ASA ruled.
In the official ASA ruling document, the Directorate continued that the advertisement clearly makes a hypothesis and is justifiable in terms of government’s B-BBEE policy. On these grounds, the complaint was dismissed as the billboard’s message was not infringing on any government or advertising laws. According to the ASA, BWD Advertising was merely exercising its right to broadcast an achievement and an “edge” it has in the advertising industry.
BWD, a Jozi-based, full-service marketing agency started off in 2006 as the brainchild of CEO Bongani Gosa.
“The billboard was placed to communicate BWD’sachievement as one of the very few South African advertising agencies that are 100% black owned, which honours the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) strategy. This mandate clearly calls for companies to increase the number of black people participating in the country’s economy to fight high unemployment rates and challenges imposed by the past,” the agency said in a statement.
“I firmly believe in growing our country by empowering the youth. Only if they are mentored correctly, will they lead the country forward without racism and corruption, which is something that I promote passionately. No divided country can truly prosper,” Gosa said.
