Watchmaker Swatch apologises for ‘slanted eye’ ad after online backlash in China
Reuters
“It is very significant for a brand of that scale to misfire in this way,” said Mark Borkowski, who runs a public relations consultancy in London. “This carelessness is really quite a fundamental mistake.”
In an apology posted in both Chinese and English on its Weibo social media platform on Saturday, Swatch said it had “taken note of the recent concerns” and removed all related materials worldwide.
“We sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused,” the statement said. It also posted the same apology on Instagram.
Swatch declined to comment beyond its statement.
The campaign resulted in a backlash on social media.
Borkowski said Swatch needed to investigate how the ad received the go-ahead from executives.