The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
Ocean Park sold a panda watch with an alligator strap — then apologised
A luxury collaboration priced over HK$30,000 paired the park's conservation mascot with reptile leather. The product was pulled and an internal review ordered.
Ocean Park · Memorigin
What happened
In 2025, Hong Kong's Ocean Park launched a panda-themed luxury watch in partnership with watchmaker Memorigin. The product, priced over HK$30,000, featured an alligator leather strap. The pairing of the park's conservation mascot with reptile leather triggered online criticism that the product contradicted Ocean Park's animal welfare and conservation values.
Ocean Park removed the product from sale and issued a public apology for its 'lack of sensitivity'. The park promised a comprehensive internal review, revised design, production and procurement guidelines, enhanced staff training, and better communication with licensed partners.
Memorigin responded that its alligator leather came from CITES-compliant suppliers and legally operated farms. The defence addressed the legality of the material but not the brand-alignment problem that had triggered the backlash.
Why it happened
- The licensing team evaluated the product on commercial and legal grounds, not on whether the materials were consistent with the park's conservation identity
- The partner's CITES compliance was necessary but not sufficient: legality is not the same as brand coherence
- No review stage asked the obvious question — does an alligator strap on a panda watch contradict the message the park sells?
- The product was a licensed collaboration, so the park's brand was committed to a partner's design without a values-alignment check
The lesson
Licensed merchandise carries the licensor's values, not just its logo — a compliance check on materials is not the same as a coherence check on the message.
Aftermath
Ocean Park revised its design, production and procurement guidelines and enhanced staff training. The case was cited in Hong Kong marketing circles as an example of how brand partnerships can undermine a brand's core positioning when the licensing process focuses on commercial terms rather than values alignment.
Sources
- Marketing Interactive: Ocean Park watch debacle — a product misstep or branding inconsistency
- Marketing Interactive: Top five PR controversies that buzzed among HK readers in 2025
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
A jewellery store built a fake mine set to livestream 'digging' its agate
Wowcher's mass email joked about a toddler thrown into a crocodile pit
Skeppshult's 'only remaining Scandinavian cast-iron foundry' claim ruled misleading
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.