The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2025
Swatch posted a racist 'slanted eyes' ad — boycott calls cost it China, its biggest market
Swatch posted an ad with a model pulling his eyes into a slanted-eyes gesture; China's social media erupted and boycott calls followed in its largest market.
Swatch · 2025-08-18
What happened
In August 2025, Swiss watchmaker Swatch posted an advertisement on its official channels showing a model pulling the corners of his eyes — a 'slanted eyes' gesture widely recognised as a racist caricature of Asian facial features. The ad was part of Swatch's Essentials collection campaign.
Chinese social media users reacted with fury. The image went viral on Weibo and calls for a boycott of Swatch products grew rapidly. Swatch generates approximately 27% of its revenue from China, Hong Kong and Macau, making it the company's single largest market outside Switzerland.
Swatch issued an apologetic statement on Saturday, 18 August 2025, saying: 'We have taken note of the recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model. We sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused. We treat this matter with the utmost importance and have immediately removed all related materials worldwide.' The apology was widely rejected on Chinese social media, where users wrote, 'You can apologise, but I will not forgive' and called the company 'only afraid for its profits.'
Why it happened
- The ad passed Swatch's approval chain despite featuring a gesture that is one of the most recognisable racist tropes targeting Asians — in a market worth over a quarter of Swatch's revenue.
- Swatch's apology claimed ignorance — a defence that sounded hollow after Dolce & Gabbana's 2018 crisis and H&M's 2021 boycott had already shown the cost of racial insensitivity in China.
- Chinese consumers have repeatedly boycotted brands that insult Chinese culture — Swatch should have known its biggest market had the shortest fuse.
The lesson
When a quarter of your revenue comes from China, a racially offensive ad is a business-risk decision, not a creative one — and claiming ignorance does not rebuild trust.
Aftermath
Swatch faced sustained boycott calls on Chinese social media. The apology failed to satisfy critics, with Weibo users continuing to call for a boycott. While the immediate financial impact was not disclosed, Swatch had already been experiencing declining sales in China amid the country's economic slowdown, and the controversy compounded its market challenges.
Sources
- Swatch sorry for 'slanted eyes' ad after China uproar — BBC News
- Eugenics, AI slop, and cultural appropriation — the fashion and beauty controversies that defined 2025 — Glossy
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
Bosideng sold a ¥2,299 down jacket with 86 grams of fill — and the internet did the math
Li-Ning's runway collection looked like wartime Japanese uniforms to Chinese buyers
Ubras' 'lie flat and win the workplace' bra ad sparked outrage — apology in a day
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.