Following an initial reluctance, Izzue, a subsidiary of I.T., has removed all offending merchandise from its 14 stores after complaints from Israeli and German diplomats, as well a flurry of global media attention from Montreal to Jerusalem to Belfast. Yet military-style clothing is still hot fashion among Chinese youth this season and Izzue thought that the use of Third Reich banners, Adolf Hitler and swastika printed garments would drive sales for its fall/winter collection.
Its initial hesitation to recall the T-shirts, pants, flags and propaganda videos brought further indignation, after it said that many Hong Kong Chinese were either ignorant or not offended by Nazism.
"This campaign is really crossing the line. It is unfair to think that Chinese people are insensitive to these things," said Mike Wong, managing director of McCann-Erickson Hong Kong.
"I don't think people are that ignorant in Hong Kong, and Izzue's judgment on this issue is too simple," he added.
Colin Bates of BuildingBrands, said some in the industry thought that Izzue was trying to follow Bennetton's controversial lead on heralding social issues. "They would have been saying they are more than just a clothes brand, but they lost it," said Bates.
"Bennetton approached their brand with a set of human values, but this came across as random," said Wong.
However, the brand is unlikely to be battered by the controversy in its home market since the local Chinese press gave the issue few column inches and print advertisements have not featured any Nazi memorabilia.
"I don't think the withdrawal will confuse consumers, the main advertising campaign involving a Japanese woman and a Hong Kong man with roses still stands," said Gloria Yu from parent company. I. T. "It will not have a large effect on sales either, the Nazi symbol was just one of 12." Last year NFO's Youth Pulse survey of 500 Hong Kong teens found that Izzue was the second most "cool and stylish" brand after Nike. Yet its initial hip halo may now be tarnished as people query whether it is managing its image properly.
OTHER EMBARRASSING MOMENTS IN ASIAN ADVERTISING
- In April this year, Coca-Cola pulled a promotional robot figurine adorned with what appeared to be Nazi swastikas following criticism in Hong Kong.
- Pacific Coffee Company found itself in hot water with Hong Kong's Jewish community after it displayed a "thought for the day" from Adolf Hitler above its shop counters in May 2002.
- Confectioner Cadbury created uproar in India after comparing its chocolate to the disputed territory of Kashmir and described both as "too good to share".
- Chinese television pop star Zhao Wei appeared in the magazine Fashion in September 2001 in an outfit that resembled the Japanese wartime military flag.
