Dettol apologises after ‘toxic men’ advert sparks backlash in China
The British hygiene brand Dettol has apologised after an advertisement released in China, which it said was intended to criticise “toxic men”, was widely condemned on social media as offensive to women.
The five-minute advert for a multipurpose disinfectant, released across many online platforms at the end of May, features a man comparing his girlfriend with his former partner. Learning that his former girlfriend previously lived with someone else, the man likens their relationship to a “secondhand service”. He then tells his friends that he intends to find a “clean and untouched” woman for whom he can be the first sexual partner.
“I may not be a virgin, but my future wife has to be,” he says, adding: “Luckily, I met her now, she’s clean and hasn’t been contaminated by other men.”
The micro drama ends with his new girlfriend finding out about his statements, calling out his misogyny and breaking up with him. As she throws his socks into a washing machine, a voiceover says: “A toxic man is just like these germs – you need Dettol to eliminate them completely to feel at ease.”
Dettol withdrew the advert on Sunday after widespread criticism from Chinese social media users, with many calling for a boycott of the brand, owned by the British multinational Reckitt.
In a post apologising for the advert, Dettol said the promotion had intended to “challenge unequal gender attitudes and promote healthy, confident views on relationships and lifestyles”, but that edited clips circulating online had distorted the original message.
Dettol said the promotion had been produced by a third-party agency, but that it took “responsibility for any negligence in creating and reviewing the content of the advert”. It said: “We are well aware that true protection also lies in safeguarding the dignity of every individual and their right to be treated equally.”
The topic had more than 80m views on the Chinese social media platform Weibo as of Tuesday. “I will never use Dettol again,” one user on the site wrote.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Dettol released a five-minute advertisement in China in late May promoting a multipurpose disinfectant. The ad depicted a man expressing preferences for a first sexual partner, referring to previous relationships as 'contamination'. The narrative resolved with his girlfriend rejecting his views and ending the relationship, followed by a voiceover equating toxic men to germs requiring elimination. After the ad circulated widely on Chinese social media, Dettol withdrew it. The company stated the promotion was designed to critique unequal gender attitudes and promote healthy relationships, but that edited versions online had misrepresented its intent. Dettol acknowledged responsibility for inadequate content review and apologised. The topic accumulated over 80 million views on Weibo, with users expressing intentions to boycott the brand.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
The British hygiene brand Dettol has apologised after an advertisement released in China, which it said was intended to criticise “toxic men”, was widely condemned on social media as offensive to women.
The five-minute advert for a multipurpose disinfectant, released across many online platforms at the end of May, features a man comparing his girlfriend with his former partner. Learning that his former girlfriend previously lived with someone else, the man likens their relationship to a “secondhand service”. He then tells his friends that he intends to find a “clean and untouched” woman for whom he can be the first sexual partner.
“I may not be a virgin, but my future wife has to be,” he says, adding: “Luckily, I met her now, she’s clean and hasn’t been contaminated by other men.”
The micro drama ends with his new girlfriend finding out about his statements, calling out his misogyny and breaking up with him. As she throws his socks into a washing machine, a voiceover says: “A toxic man is just like these germs – you need Dettol to eliminate them completely to feel at ease.”
Dettol withdrew the advert on Sunday after widespread criticism from Chinese social media users, with many calling for a boycott of the brand, owned by the British multinational Reckitt.
In a post apologising for the advert, Dettol said the promotion had intended to “challenge unequal gender attitudes and promote healthy, confident views on relationships and lifestyles”, but that edited clips circulating online had distorted the original message.
Dettol said the promotion had been produced by a third-party agency, but that it took “responsibility for any negligence in creating and reviewing the content of the advert”. It said: “We are well aware that true protection also lies in safeguarding the dignity of every individual and their right to be treated equally.”
The topic had more than 80m views on the Chinese social media platform Weibo as of Tuesday. “I will never use Dettol again,” one user on the site wrote.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Dettol released a five-minute advertisement in China at the end of May The advertisement featured a man comparing his girlfriend unfavourably to his former partner and stating he wanted a 'clean and untouched' woman The advertisement concluded with the girlfriend rejecting his misogyny and ending the relationship A voiceover stated: 'A toxic man is just like these germs – you need Dettol to eliminate them completely to feel at ease' Dettol withdrew the advertisement on Sunday following widespread criticism on Chinese social media Chinese users called for boycotts of the brand The topic received over 80 million views on Weibo by Tuesday Dettol stated the advertisement intended to challenge unequal gender attitudes and promote healthy relationships Dettol claimed edited clips circulating online had distorted the original message Dettol acknowledged responsibility for negligence in creating and reviewing the content
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
- Dettol released a five-minute Chinese advertisement in May featuring a man with misogynistic views about women, which was withdrawn after backlash
- The ad showed a man seeking a 'clean and untouched' partner, with a message comparing toxic men to germs that need eliminating
- Chinese social media users called for boycotts; the topic garnered over 80 million views on Weibo by Tuesday
- Dettol apologised, saying the ad was intended to challenge gender inequality but that edited clips had distorted the message
- The company acknowledged responsibility for negligence in creating and reviewing the content