Kowloon Dairy 'fake Filipino' TVC generates controversy

Titled 'Kowloon Dairy, HK mom, HK child and fake Filipino', the ad is based on a sad but sometimes true fact, that kids of busy Hong Kong parents may be closer to their maids than their moms. 

One working mother commented after seeing the ad, “I think the ad is pathetic, as a mom’s love cannot be easily replaced by a milk product. The creative idea of the maid in the ad is very racist.”

Chris Kyme, founder of Hong Kong-based creative agency Kymechow, said the ad "probably just reflects how many local people see domestic helpers, plus the fact that so many Hong Kong parents who are working have to leave their child-rearing to their domestic helpers, sadly. I think what's more offensive is the bad casting and bad acting of the domestic helper character.”

Lillian Leong, managing director of Leo Burnett Hong Kong, said that foreign maids are part of Hong Kong society, making up 3 per cent of the local population. "We have lots of working mums in Hong Kong," she said. "In a lot of cases that we heard, babies and kids are getting very close to the maids, moreso than the moms. I think our story is rooted with very deep insights about life in Hong Kong, and twisted with humor. We have no intention to satirise the maids.”

David Guerrero, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO Guerrero in the Philippines, showed the TVC to one of his creative groups and said that they recognise elements of the situation as true; children do form strong attachments to their caregivers, and busy moms occasionally feel bad about it.

"I would imagine this is where the creative team was coming from with this idea," he said. "Where it goes wrong is in the caricatured portrayal of the helper. She could have been shown in a more sympathetic way." 

It's a fact that many families in cities like Hong Kong and Singapore outsource their childcare to women from other countries. "So part of what is shocking is the reality rather than the commercial," Guerrero said. "However, we might all be better off if companies took the opportunity to appreciate the work of these carers rather than stoking up irrational fear of them."

Christine Pong, creative partner of TwoHundred, said, “I don't feel offended by this spot and I don't think it set out to make fun of the domestic helpers in Hong Kong." It's a reality and a true insight about the triangular relationship between mother, kid and maids, and not only Filipino maids, she added.

Tony Hon, creative partner with Hong Kong agency Turn, agreed that discrimination against domestic helpers is a social issue in Hong Kong, and the TVC reflects that.

"The TVC is making fun of the Filipinos, however commercials make fun of everything—they are not the only victims," he said. "To me this an average Hong Kong TVC spot. It may create noise, but is it in a positive way? It may be funny but [has a] lack of strategy and unique positioning. From an advertising man viewpoint, the first question I would ask is, does it add value to the brand? Does this piece of communication make me like the brand more? Does it really make me think that the product tastes better?"

This story was updated with additional comments after its initial publication.