…or is it certain that bad PR is still PR?
April was not exactly a quiet month for the German optical device manufacturer Leica, as they found themselves in the spotlight due to their own advertisement. The Brazilian F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency (with whom the German company has collaborated before) released their latest short film on April 16, titled „The hunt” (The hunt). However, the video was banned in China shortly after its release, and the Leica name was also censored on the Chinese social media platform, Weibo. What happened?
The 5-minute film showcases various armed conflicts, primarily from African and Eastern countries, through the lens of photojournalists. One of the main threads takes us to Beijing in 1989. At the end of the short film, the silhouette of a man standing in front of a tank is reflected in the camera lens – clearly alluding to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
The main message appears at the very end of the video: „This film is dedicated to those who lend their eyes to make us see”, which can be translated literally as:
„This film is for those who lend their eyes so that we can see.”
With this closing sentence, the filmmakers pay tribute to the difficult, often life-threatening work of photojournalists, as they are the ones who bring and show us, ordinary people, what is happening in the world.
Apparently, the Brazilian advertising agency did not take into account that the memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre remains a taboo in Chinese government communication, as that year thousands of student protesters lost their lives in Beijing standing up for democracy. This topic has been heavily censored in the People's Republic of China ever since.
Leica immediately communicated, though they probably shouldn't have: their spokespersons stated in response to the emerging scandal that although the Leica logo appears in the video, they did not officially approve it, thus distancing the company from the advertisement, and they apologized for any misunderstandings and are taking steps to ensure that the video does not appear on official Leica social media platforms.
Despite the statements, the German company has entangled itself in a sensitive issue, as the F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency has already created several award-winning commercials for Leica. Additionally, the lens-manufacturing company works in very close collaboration with the Chinese company Huawei, as all Huawei phones are equipped with Leica cameras. By the way, Huawei has not issued any statements since then.
In China, the video has elicited mixed reactions. Many messages were posted on Weibo by people living in the country expressing their opinions. Some appreciated that attention was drawn to this important historical event, but there were also those who worried about the impact the advertisement would have on Huawei's reputation.
Moreover, it seems that Leica's marketers are in a tough spot, as the scandal has continued to ripple: it is not at all certain that the iconic photos taken at Tiananmen Square were made using Leica cameras. But that’s another story…
