Balenciaga’s Hastily Photoshopped Ad Campaign Incenses Shoppers In China
Image via Balenciaga China
Ahead of Chinese Valentine’s Day, Balenciaga is attracting the wrong sort of heat due to its new bag campaign and collection that has left Chinese consumers thinking their eye for detail is being underestimated.
Social media users felt like the French luxury label was insulting their intelligence when it launched the limited-edition Hourglass bags alongside a set of photos showing pixelated backgrounds and harsh lighting.
Many lamented that they had initially assumed the “gaudy” adverts were unofficial edits photoshopped by internet users.
Others compared the ads’ quality with Balenciaga’s thought-provoking Fall/Winter 2020 campaign about life after an apocalypse. “Balenciaga’s campaign in Europe this year follows a post-apocalyptic theme made using exceptional artistry and technique, revolving around the idea of being able to imagine the future yet lacking the courage to accept it,” one commenter pointed out, as translated by Mothership.sg.
“Take the European promotional campaign and put it together with the Chinese campaign,” they continued. “Only an idiot would believe that the French didn’t mean to insult us with this.”
According to Dazed, Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia had spent six months working on the dramatic Fall/Winter series.
Consumers were also incensed by the design of the actual products reading “He Loves Me” in graffiti fonts. As reported by Jing Daily, it appeared to them that the brand was mirroring the loud aesthetics apparently favored by those living in rural areas.
The hashtag “#BalenciagaChineseValentineCampaignTasteless” amassed 210,000 discussions on Chinese social network Weibo, with the topic “#BalenciagaInsultsChina” receiving 15 million views by Tuesday night.
It seems that Balenciaga has taken down most of the Valentine’s Day imagery, save for one.
Image via Balenciaga China
This is #balenciaga official ad specially in China. It make sense that the marketing strategy should adapt to local market but doesn’t mean you can lost your brand image, this as is OMG. pic.twitter.com/4T4IygotL8
— Raven (@Raven05339255) August 11, 2020
What the freak is this, Balenciaga?
— Hafa🇭🇰 (@HongSave) August 11, 2020
For real?
Disclaimer: All these pics are from Balenciaga’s official site. I DID NOT edit any of them.#Chinese #China #Fashion #advertising #disasters #mindblown pic.twitter.com/NuYKwuoXWd
[via Mothership, cover image via Balenciaga China]
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