AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)12/28 Report--

Recently, the "three squirrels" of food companies have been questioned by netizens about "vilifying Chinese" because of the use of "squint" model makeup, and luxury car brand Mercedes-Benz has also been caught in a huge controversy over model makeup.

The topic # Mercedes-Benz advertising model makeup sparked controversy on Weibo after many netizens discovered that Mercedes-Benz was suspected of using "squinting" model makeup in its ads on Dec. 27, according to media reports.

It is understood that at noon on December 25, Mercedes-Benz posted a video on its official Weibo account featuring two models, a man and a woman, basically an advertisement for a new CLS four-door coupe, and what attracted much attention: Mercedes-Benz suspected of using the controversial "squint" look, which made many netizens uncomfortable.

The ad also appeared in Wechat moments with the caption: "Pioneer, don't show yourself, a new generation of CLS makes an eye-catching debut".

Recently, there has been a lot of controversy about the topic of "squinting". In the face of widespread questioning from public opinion, Mercedes-Benz still promoted the advertisement of "squinting" model makeup, so many netizens questioned that Mercedes-Benz's behavior was "deliberate."

Some netizens said: "recently, there has been a lot of criticism on 'squinting eyes'. Mercedes-Benz issued this kind of advertisement at this time, which is a bit deliberate."the # squirrel # storm of three squirrels has not subsided, and the advertisement launched by Mercedes-Benz is really suspected of being hot." what makes netizens even more angry is that before this advertisement was issued, except for the three squirrels, they were questioned. Against this background, Mercedes-Benz still released the same type of ads, which may be the key to why the Mercedes-Benz advertisement has caused so much controversy.

In response to the topic of squinting, People's Daily also posted on the official Weibo that he thought about the squint controversy from multiple angles. People's Daily analyzed and explained the dispute of "squinting" from the three dimensions of product, aesthetics and communication, and said: for humiliating China with symbols such as "squinting", the act of counterattack is by no means to raise the level of internal principles and self-censorship.

According to public data, the main body of Mercedes-Benz Weibo operation is Beijing Mercedes-Benz sales and Service Co., Ltd., which was established in December 2012. a joint venture between Daimler Greater China Investment Co., Ltd. and Beijing Automobile Co., Ltd., with a stock ratio of 51% to 49%. According to data, Mercedes-Benz sold 2.164187 million vehicles worldwide in 2020, of which the Chinese market contributed 774000. This data also shows that Mercedes-Benz brand occupies a large position in China's luxury car market.

Mercedes-Benz, as one of the best-selling luxury brands in China, should pay more attention to the boundary of brand marketing in this market performance, but this is not the first time Mercedes-Benz has had a marketing "rollover" incident.

In October, Mercedes-Benz was also bombarded by netizens for reposting a video of talk show actor Yang Li. Mercedes-Benz's official Weibo teamed up with VOGUE to forward an advertising video of a brand new long-wheelbase C-class car, showing talk show actor Yang Li sitting in a spectacular Mercedes-Benz car, but Yang Li had previously stood out on the variety show "talk Show" with a series of sarcastic remarks about men, which was boycotted by some netizens. Although Mercedes-Benz set the video to "visible only to fans" and opened a selection of comments, the move still drew condemnation from netizens.

In fact, it is very common for car brands to post advertisements on Weibo and moments, and it is also one of the more effective ways right now, but due to the large number of users involved, brand mistakes may soon be discovered and magnified quickly. A careless improper marketing method will lead to a "big rollover". This kind of "rollover" can also cause great harm to a brand.

Therefore, no matter what kind of publicity effect the brand wants to achieve, it should pay attention to the boundary in brand marketing, because a good brand not only sells products, but also conveys the correct values of the brand to consumers in addition to meeting the needs of consumers.

So far, Mercedes-Benz has not made any response to this topic.

Welcome to subscribe to the WeChat public account "Automotive Industry Focus" to get the first-hand insider information on the automotive industry and talk about things in the automotive circle. Welcome to break the news! WeChat ID autoWechat