Bayo's latest ad campaign featuring models, including TV5 talent Jasmine Curtis, of mixed heritage received a lot of negative comments from the online community and has angered women's rights groups.
BAYO Clothing has apologized for an ad campaign that had drawn flak for supposedly being “racist” and demeaning to women, saying any negative or hurtful connotations imparted by the campaign were inadvertent and unintended.
BAYO officials said the controversial ads – which revolved around Filipino women of mixed heritage – will be pulled.
On Thursday evening, an official statement issued by the company through its VP for Product Research and Development, Lyn Agustin, said: “We at BAYO deeply apologize for the message our campaign—‘What’s Your Mix?’—has unintentionally conveyed. We would like to express our regret to those who have been offended or felt discriminated against.
“Our company and our partners have always taken pride in being pro-Filipino as we continue to celebrate our uniqueness and achievements. We believe that being a Filipino will always make you 100% beautiful. It is unfortunate that this message got lost along the way.
“We thank everyone who has shown support for our thrust of promoting Filipino beauty, talent, and creativity.”
In a phone interview with Bayo’s GM Pinky Estrebillo, the clothing brand’s executive said that the company will also temporarily bring down all its billboards with the said ads. The campaign, she said, was conceptualized by its in-house creative team with the help of a consultant.
As of this posting, images of the ad campaign have also been removed from their official website and replaced with a statement of apology.
