Mercedes-Benz Forced to Remove Advertisement from a Chinese Social Media Site
German automaker faced backlash over the appearance of a models’ eyes in ad on a Chinese social media site.
Mercedes-Benz has a unique relationship with the Chinese market. Like many automakers the Chinese market is key to their success. The growth of the car market in China has been astounding. In addition, Chinese manufacturer Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. invested about $9 billion in Daimler AG a couple years ago. It is the largest investor in the German automaker. On the other side of the coin there are quite a few fake Mercedes-Benz models being produced in China. So, it is fair to say it is a complex situation in that country. And now we get word that recently an advertisement from Mercedes-Benz on a Chinese social media website had to be pulled down after some severe public backlash.
As recently reported by Bloomberg News the ad in question sparked debate because the models’ eyes in the ad appeared to be slanted. That was viewed as being completely inappropriate for a foreign company to have a model with Asian-looking features. The video ad was posted on Mercedes-Benz’s official Weibo account but was later pulled due to the controversy according to the Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper. “The makeup of the female model looked like slanted eyes and once again aroused a heated discussion from netizens with many blaming that the makeup reflects Western stereotypes about Asian people,” the paper said. Because the ad was pulled, we have not seen a full version of the ad in question.
Not Alone
Mercedes-Benz is not the only company to face blowback on Chinese social media sites in recent years. Dolce & Gabbana, Walmart, Gucci, and Christian Dior have all had run-ins recently. Christian Dior stopped using a photo of a model in November that state media said was “smearing Asian women.” Chinese internet users are especially sensitive to how models’ eyes are shown in ads. And even Chinese companies are not immune. Chinese company Three Squirrels Inc. recently apologized for ads featuring model Cai Niang Niang wearing makeup that accentuated the slant of her eyes, the South China Morning Post reported. However, the model did not agree with the ad being insensitive. She posted on Weibo, saying: “With small eyes, am I not Chinese? I totally agree with patriotism. However, creating big problems out of normal matters has become a morbid obsession.”
The issue is not always with a models’ eyes. Back in 2018 Mercedes-Benz apologized for quoting the Dalai Lama on Instagram, a move that the Global Times also criticized. The German automaker had attached a quote from the Tibetan spiritual leader to a post showcasing a C-Class Coupe. “Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.” That doesn’t seem so bad, but we are not Chinese social media users. Still, we must consider the sheer amount of volume of social media posts. And the intense scrutiny that every word and image is under nowadays. Only two missteps in the last three years is a pretty good record for Mercedes-Benz. But it does speak to the signs of the times and how every word and image must be carefully measured before it is released to the world.
Images: Mercedes-Benz
Join the MB World forums now!
