Overview

• The advertisement featured an Asian male model pulling the corners of his eyes in what users condemned as a racist 'slanted eye' gesture.
• Influencers on Weibo amplified outrage, urging consumers to boycott Swatch Group brands and press regulators to penalise the company.
• On August 16, Swatch issued an apology on Instagram and Weibo and said it had removed the contested imagery worldwide.
• Many critics deemed the apology insufficient and continued calls to shun Swatch’s portfolio brands, including Blancpain, Longines and Tissot.
• Swatch Group has already reported an 11.2 percent drop in first-half net sales, attributing the slump exclusively to weak demand in its crucial Chinese market.