Advertising mess: Advertising with Dalai Lama slogan gets Mercedes into trouble in China
An advertising photo on Instagram has caused outraged reactions in China for the German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes had quoted the Dalai Lama in the online image service. The spiritual leader of the Tibetans is a red rag for the leadership in Beijing.
On Tuesday, the company apologized for hurting the feelings of people in China. The German car manufacturer, for which China is an important sales market, had posted a picture of a Mercedes on the beach on Instagram - with the quote: "Look at the situation from all angles, then you will be more open." Mercedes advised starting the week "with a fresh perspective from the Dalai Lama".
Although Instagram is blocked for most internet users in China and the post was written in English, it was promptly met with fierce criticism on Chinese social networks. The Communist Party newspaper even accused the German car manufacturer in a commentary of having "made an enemy of the Chinese people".
The Dalai Lama advocates greater autonomy for Tibet. The leadership in Beijing, however, sees the Nobel Peace Prize winner as a "wolf in a monk's robe" who wants to force Tibet's independence through "spiritual terrorism".
Mercedes deleted the Instagram post and apologized on the social network Weibo. The company had immediately initiated measures "to further deepen our understanding of Chinese culture and values", the car manufacturer wrote.
In the past, numerous other foreign companies have already encountered harsh criticism in Beijing. An Instagram post featuring the Dalai Lama also caused trouble for the British band Placebo last summer: according to the musicians, a gig in Shanghai fell through as a result. (SDA AFP)
