The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026
Victoria's Secret went quiet when its new China ambassador fell into a copyright row
Nine days after making 单依纯 its China ambassador, a copyright scandal hit — and VS neither defended nor cut her, becoming the biggest loser of its own campaign.
Victoria's Secret (维密) · 2026-03
What happened
On 20 March 2026 Victoria's Secret announced 单依纯 as its China-region brand ambassador, betting her 'self, no limits' Gen-Z image would reframe the lingerie brand for a younger, majority-female audience that overlaps heavily with its own shoppers. It was the opening move of a transformation push.
Nine days later the bet unravelled. On 29 March singer 李荣浩 accused her of 'forcibly infringing' his song 《李白》, posting a China Music Copyright Association note confirming no licence had been granted. 单依纯 apologised twice — a short reply, then a long statement admitting she sang without written authorisation — pledging to stop the song, delete the material and personally cover the royalties.
Victoria's Secret neither terminated nor defended her. Coverage cast the brand as the campaign's 'biggest loser': cutting her would write off the promotional spend, while staying silent risked a 'condones infringement' label. Netizens asked why it had not dropped her, and the young-and-confident message was drowned out by the row.
Why it happened
- An endorsement is a bet on a face, and VS had built the launch around hers — when the face became the story, the brand had no clean move
- The scandal broke nine days in, so the spend was barely launched before it was at risk of being written off
- Silence was a decision: VS traded the campaign rather than admit the bet was wrong, and the 'condones infringement' label followed
The lesson
Nine days after handing a face a brand's campaign, the face became the story — and Victoria's Secret had no move that wasn't a loss: terminate and waste the spend, or stay silent and own the label.
Aftermath
单依纯 apologised twice and bore the royalties; VS neither defended nor cut her, drawing public calls to terminate. The campaign's youth-and-confidence message was buried by the row.
Sources
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