Has the Swiss luxury watch brand Swatch gone too far with its ad?
Image source: InstagramLuxury watchmaker apologises for 'slanted eye' ad after online backlash in ChinaSwiss luxury watch brand Swatch has come under scrutiny for posting an advertisement that many social media users described as racist. The ad, shared on the company’s website and social media platforms, sparked widespread and online backlash in China, calling for accountability.The luxury watchmaker released an advertisement for its Swatch Essentials collection featuring an Asian male model. The controversy arose because the model was shown pulling at his eyes — a gesture widely recognized as a racist stereotype targeting people of Asian origin.In response, Swatch issued an apology on its official Instagram handle, stating: “We have taken note of the recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model in images for the Swatch Essentials collection. We treat this matter with the utmost importance and have immediately removed all related materials worldwide. We sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused.”Despite the apology, many users on social media criticised the brand’s wording, calling it inadequate. One user wrote, “Christ, would it hurt to say ‘we made a mistake’ without follow-up words like ‘sorry if you’re offended’? It wasn’t just one photo either, there were numerous ones, and obviously from the photographer to the editor they all thought, ‘yes, what a brilliant shot, we’ll include multiple of these photos in our advertising.’ There’s no ‘misunderstanding’ from anyone.”Another commenter alleged that such ads are intentional, writing, “Ads have to go through many approvals and hands. These rage-bait ads from brands recently are done very, very intentionally. They do it on purpose.”Others expressed disappointment in stronger terms, “Sometimes people can be too sensitive, BUT this time what y’all are doing is just blatant discrimination. Anyone on your team who took part in this and approved it should be ashamed.”The controversy continues to fuel debate online about accountability in advertising and the repeated appearance of racially insensitive campaigns from global brands.
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| Image source: Instagram |
Luxury watchmaker apologises for 'slanted eye' ad after online backlash in China
Swiss luxury watch brand Swatch has come under scrutiny for posting an advertisement that many social media users described as racist. The ad, shared on the company’s website and social media platforms, sparked widespread and online backlash in China, calling for accountability.
The luxury watchmaker released an advertisement for its Swatch Essentials collection featuring an Asian male model. The controversy arose because the model was shown pulling at his eyes — a gesture widely recognized as a racist stereotype targeting people of Asian origin.
In response, Swatch issued an apology on its official Instagram handle, stating: “We have taken note of the recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model in images for the Swatch Essentials collection. We treat this matter with the utmost importance and have immediately removed all related materials worldwide. We sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused.”
Despite the apology, many users on social media criticised the brand’s wording, calling it inadequate. One user wrote, “Christ, would it hurt to say ‘we made a mistake’ without follow-up words like ‘sorry if you’re offended’? It wasn’t just one photo either, there were numerous ones, and obviously from the photographer to the editor they all thought, ‘yes, what a brilliant shot, we’ll include multiple of these photos in our advertising.’ There’s no ‘misunderstanding’ from anyone.”
Another commenter alleged that such ads are intentional, writing, “Ads have to go through many approvals and hands. These rage-bait ads from brands recently are done very, very intentionally. They do it on purpose.”
Others expressed disappointment in stronger terms, “Sometimes people can be too sensitive, BUT this time what y’all are doing is just blatant discrimination. Anyone on your team who took part in this and approved it should be ashamed.”
The controversy continues to fuel debate online about accountability in advertising and the repeated appearance of racially insensitive campaigns from global brands.
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