I think this last is just trying to put the 'best' -- class -- gloss on this penchant for whiteness. But I think it is a huge hangover from colonial rule and the all too evident deference shown white people, at least to their face -- and this runs the gamut from the rich to the poor.
Whitening cosmetics dominate the Asian cosmetics market -- if I recall, it accounts for some 60% of the cosmetics market. Along with this is the hair-colouring stuff. Sure, it used to be the case that henna -- a natural product -- was used for hair colouring, and for colouring nails. But now, it's hard to miss the hair-blonding -- which, at a glance, actually induces a response of malnourishment.
As for advertising, I think it's across the whole region -- except when ethnicity is the point of the ad -- that lighter, paler, so-called 'pan-Asian' features are the rule.
kj