China bans ‘dirty’ ads during dinner

China rang in the New Year by banning advertising during dinnertime for sanitary napkins, haemorrhoid ointments and athlete’s foot medi...

China rang in the New Year by banning advertising during dinnertime for sanitary napkins, haemorrhoid ointments and athlete’s foot medicines.

‘‘This is really welcome,’’ said Lei Jianqiang, 33, a railway employee. ‘‘Those ads are so disgusting. They completely ruin my appetite. Those skin disease ads in particular are really something. I jump up and change the channel.’’

The new rules, announced on Wednesday in the state-run China Daily, also include limits on commercials, with a maximum of nine minutes per hour during primetime.

This compares with some channels that now show as many ads as viewers will tolerate, and then some. However, advertising executives weren’t pleased with the changes, which they said could cost them millions.

‘‘It will really affect the industry and our clients,’’ said Sun Fangmin, planning executive at McCann-Erickson Guangming, one of China’s largest ad agencies. “And competition will become even more fierce next year because there’s less primetime advertising available.’’

As a viewer, Ye Lingyun of the Beijing Qianhuo Advertising Agency finds the graphic shots of infected feet during mealtime a bit much. ‘‘It’s disgusting,’’ she said. As a professional, she’s concerned that too many rules could hamper market development.

Worried that the new regulations are discriminatory, Li Wenbo, a media planner, said: ‘‘If an athlete’s foot ad is creative and well-done, I’d love to watch it.’’ —(LAT-WP)