When Chanel SA started marketing a new cosmetics range using red camellias this month, a Chinese competitor took offense and accused the French luxury brand of appropriating the Asian flower.
Sun Laichun, the founder of Shanghai-based cosmetics company Forest Cabin, vowed on the Chinese Twitter-like platform Weibo to do his “best to protect the beauty of Chinese women. Comrades-in-arms, together we will win this fight!” The post rapidly drew close to 100 million views, taking on the contours of what has become an increasingly common consumer backlash against a Western brand.
This time, though, a backlash never materialized. Many Weibo users ridiculed Mr. Sun instead. Others rallied behind Chanel.
“Stop using netizens to fight your battles,” one Weibo user shot back at Mr. Sun’s post. Mr. Sun and Forest Cabin declined to comment.
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