Citroen might have to turn down their sales forecasts for 2008 sales in China, it seems they’ve just earned the anger of the Chinese people with their new car advert in Spain. The above advert was featured in a full page spread in the Spanish newspaper, El Pais. The advert clearly shows Chairman Mao pulling a wry face at the little Citroen hatchback, the text underneath says
“It’s true, we are leaders, but at Citroen the revolution never stops,”
The response to the advert from Chinese residents in Spain was quite strong, and it quickly spread across the internet to China, where Chinese anger was vented quite openly on various websites, BBS forums and blogs.
Citroen apologised via a letter to The Global Times saying:
Citroen expresses regret for any displeasure caused by the advertisement and apologizes to all who have been hurt by it
Citroen later apologised again via the Citroen-China office to Reuters:
Citroen reiterates its friendship with the Chinese people, and highly respects China’s representative figures and symbols,
Although Chairman Mao has long since departed Beijing, he still retains a lot of popularity with young and old Chinese alike, it is no wonder that there was such an uproar, perhaps the Citroen advertisement team would like to think harder the next time it decides to use a former, or current head of state for an advertisement!
haahahah, have to admit it was funny
It is quite funny, but then we can say that living in a democracy with free speech!!
With free speech comes the responsibility not to insult people and using a picture of anyones leader in such a way is bound to insult at least a few people - however funny it is they should have known better!
Remember the fuss over the BBC/Queen drama, its pretty much the scenario = head of state humiliated = public anger.
Here you have the image without copyright:
http://i6.tinypic.com/6ks8whw.jpg
I will admit I make fun or various things in China on a regular basis (to keep my sanity while living here) but insulting the great chairman is a bit of ‘faux pa’.
Does anyone mind if we round up a bunch of hardcore communists and tip over a few French cars…. any brand would be fine.
Fantastic ad, although the Caesar bit is a little overblown. Should have stuck with the revolution line. Love the C4 as well…saw one for the first time in the paint here in China (don’t get them in the U.S., pity).
I love how netizens in China take every opportunity to cry “insult to the Chinese people” whenever there’s a perceived slight by a foreign enterprise, yet seem to have no problem with unmercifully mocking/excoriating/hounding a 13 year-old girl for her stage-managed comments on CCTV news. Now that’s insulting to the Chinese people.
And Windy, with free speech also comes the maturity to accept different views from your own and allow those views to be expressed openly.
Thumbs down to Citroen for caving so quickly…however understandable given their position and their bottom line.
>>people make fun of G. Bush all the time, what’s the big deal on laughing on some funny ad, for god’s sake. [2]
damn, the last post wasn’t supposed to come as a reply here, my bad!
Offending a large group of people is not wise.
When you are selling to that group through
media advertising, that’s even more unwise.
The Chinese people are a proud nation. They
should be respected and so should their symbols
and what they hold to be important, be repected
as well.
If they are offended, and that causes them not
to make a purchase of a marketable good - then
if the name of your game is “Business”, you remember
the famous motto that built many a business in the past:
“The Customer Is Always RIGHT!”
This is a good example of how being cute in
advertising can be very dangerous to your company’s
bottom line!
I would recommend to Lifan to use this advertisement
to their advantage, however.
And I can show them exactly how to do it!
All they have to do is contact me, and I’ll show them how
to sell more automobile than they can manufacture!
The Rabbi of Response
..I believe that’s “faux pas” by the way…wouldn’t want to gravely insult the whole French nation
I thought everyone hated the French anyway? They’re always the butt of jokes in the UK and the US. They do make fine cars, great diesels and fantastic cheese and wine. But they’re still the butt of a lot of European jokes. Also, apparantly, Italians are cowards, Germans have no sense of humour, English people are thugs and Scots are whisky drinking fat people. But it’s humour and we laugh it off.
That’s what comes with free speech and the maturity to know when it’s humour and not actually putting down an entire nation.
English people are Gentleman Thugs, if you dont mind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffles,_Gentleman_Thug
I thought I better check that after I wrote it and noticed it as well… I have no problem insulting the French, even the good ones I know
I hope they did one of “W,” should be pretty easy to do. I can not seem to get enough of him being humiliated!!!
people make fun of G. Bush all the time, what’s the big deal on laughing on some funny ad, for god’s sake.
It’s the way the ad is made with it being a comedic stab at Mao Zedong. So far there hasn’t been any riots in the streets yet but most Chinese will defend his name if it is desecrated.
Many of us come from countries where free speech is taken for granted so it’s easy to make jokes about our own politicians (most of them deserve it) but here it is not common (or a good idea) to make fun of party leaders, past or present.
Chairman Mao is the father of modern China. Most of us would defend our parents if they were being attacked. Many of my Chinese friends have a picture of Chairman Mao hanging in their house, as do most schools.
Citroen made a boo boo, these things happen. It’s how well they deal with it that will see how quickly the flames are put out. Issuing an apology via Reuters won’t do much within China, the local press will use this to stir up a bit of nationalism for the year (not that they need it for 08 anyway).
blockquote cite=”(not that they need it for 08 anyway).”
Touche!
I’m sorry I’m not able to put the accent over the e. I hope I haven’t insulted the French nation.
Good points here about National Maturity.
please, chinese people, don’t feel anger. i think that chairman mao (happily) isn’t any more that high moral ideal and authority (and there are reasons why). so look at it as a creative practical joke.
French people must die!
That’s a little extreme….. How do we know the ad wasn’t designed by a Spaniard?
http://img.autohome.com.cn/album/2008/1/18/a8076ea7-91ca-4f7c-affe-06a606114c9e.jpg
Chinese net users getting their own back….
http://static3.photo.sina.com.cn/orignal/48670cb244406c6ad1e62
One more
That last one isn’t that bad… you should see my fearless leader on a good day http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/prime-minister-at-waitangi
interesting… jackson LI…!
not to be confused by me, please.. =)
Mr Li, where are you from?
He’s probably English
That would explain a lot!!
I’m feeling a little left out of all this ill feeling between European nations…being American and all!
I know your “American and all”, but I am still just slightly suprised that you think China is a European nation.
Chinese people is way too sensitive and seems that everything is an offense for them. Mao is just another man in the history of humanity, HE IS NOT A GOD!
I’ll give you 100 kuai to go to Tiananmen and shout that out as loud as you can
DEAL! with most pleasure.
But we better keep this bussines out of here or Ash will get us banned.
jajajajaja!
……. or even worse. Big brother will stop us being able to view the site in China… I am guessing he is watching
Deeply offensive advert. Chinese people have VERY mixed feelings for Mao Zedong. Those who pay tribute to him for his achievements will be offended by the disrespect shown to him. Those who hate him for the bloody cost in human lives for his achievements will also be offended by the ignorant crass commercialization of the suffering of millions of people. Can you imagine an advert using the Holocaust to sell insecticide? or maybe the Ethiopian famine to sell grocery produce? maybe the Rwandan genocide to sell machetes?
ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING.
YOU KNOW WHAT OFFENDS ME? quote: “…we can say that living in a democracy with free speech!!”
It’s that blaise attitude that pours salt onto my wounds. Its not enough that my family suffered but have that suffering be a subject of Mockery too. And then told we deserve to suffer because we aren’t free. Why thank you!
Ming, good call.
Are you merciless?
For chinese people, this ad is non-sense, I just smiled at it and didnt think that it do make any sense to me. For me, this artwork is not an insult, nor a speech of any logical sense to me, just an artwork, maybe a bit modern, a modern artwork in nature dont really make any sense in the realistic. Mao is a great leader to us, he paved the way to our current great success. He has his good and bad, we all know. Its just see how naive people are if they laughing on him and on his goods and bads. No help to the insulting and breaking our hearts, but showing the stupidity and naive and childish of the people like you. Come on, no one we are really scared of now.