Looking at advertising ethics from "Bee Flower Ugly Women's Comics": Don't use vulgar traffic in corporate marketing

1. The origin of the "Bee Flower" incident

On November 6, the official Xiaohongshu account of the Bee Flower brand released a comic content that caused widespread controversy on social platforms. The title of the comic is "Seeing What a Real and Fake Girlfriend Is" (Picture 1) and aims to promote its shampoo and hair care products in a light-hearted and humorous way. However, the female figure depicted in this cartoon has sparked strong public dissatisfaction and criticism. On November 7, Bee Hua issued an apology letter saying that it solemnly apologized for an inappropriate graphic content recently posted under its account. According to the letter, this incident fully exposed the serious loopholes in the content control and review process of Beehua. Bee Flower has launched a comprehensive rectification procedure as soon as possible, and the inappropriate graphics and texts have been deleted, and the operation of the account has been seriously rectified.

In the comics, a busty female character is portrayed as an image with negative labels such as "scratching her head", "green tea", and "girlfriends seducing her husband", which reflect disrespect and objectification of women. To make matters worse, the comic's caption was not spared criticism, writing: "See what a real or fake girlfriend is", a marketing tactic that is not only vulgar but also disgusting, and some have accused it of "taking vulgarity as fun and lowbrow as fun". Critics also emphasize that any form of sexism or objectification of women is contrary to the values of modern society and can mislead consumers. In the end, the brand image and reputation of the bee flower shampoo and hair care products were severely challenged, and the incident became the focus of discussion on social media, and at the same time, people also triggered a deep reflection on the ethics and social responsibility of advertising and marketing.

"Bee Flower" brand and its products

The "Bee Flower" brand was established in 1976, and its founder is Ms. Wang Xiaolan, a famous female scientist and an older generation textile worker in China. In 1985, Bee Flower Company was the first company in China to launch a series of "Bee Flower Shampoo"; In the same year, "Bee Flower" brand shampoo won the title of "China Famous Brand Product".

In the context of the overall weakness of China's daily chemical industry, "Bee Flower" still maintains an annual growth rate of more than 10%, becoming a dark horse in China's daily chemical industry. As well-known as the "Bee Flower" brand is its famous shampoo and care product - "Bee Flower Conditioner". This product is made with pure natural plant essence as the main ingredient, which has a variety of functions, and is a washing and care product that combines cleansing and maintenance. On May 31, 2004, Shanghai Bee Flower Cosmetics Co., Ltd. officially announced the brand's new product - "Bee Flower Queen Conditioner".

However, as a representative of the popularity of domestic brands in recent years, the marketing overturn incident has also sounded the alarm for all domestic brands. In the context of consumption upgrading and the rise of domestic products, domestic brands are facing unprecedented development opportunities, but at the same time, they also need to be wary of the short-term benefit traps brought about by "fast food" marketing. True brand loyalty comes from consumers' recognition of product quality and satisfaction with service experience.

The key to Bee Flower's marketing overturn this time is that the "real and fake girlfriends" comic stalk it chooses fails to accurately grasp the social mood and public acceptance. Today, playing memes has become a common means for brands to attract young people and enhance interactivity, especially for domestic brands such as Bee Flower, which once suddenly exploded due to an online marketing. However, the selection and use of memes is a double-edged sword, which can not only bring traffic and attention, but also cause negative public opinion by touching controversial content or offending a certain group. The case of Bee Flower warns companies to be cautious when playing with memes, not only considering the interest and communication power of the memes themselves, but also deeply evaluating the social repercussions and value conflicts that may be triggered. Respecting consumers and social morality is the bottom line of corporate marketing and the clear requirement of the Advertising Law.

Therefore, domestic brands should cherish their feathers, focus on improving product quality, optimizing service experience, and win the trust of consumers through continuous innovation and excellent quality.

Ethical issues in advertising involved in the "Bee Flower" incident

In today's society, advertising, as an important communication medium, not only carries business information, but also reflects culture, values and moral standards. However, when the "Bee Flower" brand sparked public controversy because of its advertising content, we had to examine the advertising ethics involved. This incident is not only a challenge to women's dignity, but also exposes the blurring of ethical boundaries and the lack of enforcement within the advertising industry.

First of all, from the perspective of enterprises, in recent years, many brands' network marketing plans have caused controversy due to rubbing edges, and have been condemned and boycotted by consumers. Some companies use vulgarity, pornography, and ambiguity as gimmicks to give marketing "color" and "taste", and even after the edge marketing is condemned by public opinion and dealt with by the regulatory authorities, the apology and rectification of relevant enterprises can also harvest a wave of attention.

Bee Flower should fully consider its impact on social values when designing advertisements. Advertising should not only be a tool for merchandising, but also a means to convey positive information and guide good manners. If the content of the advertisement deviates from social order and good customs, especially if it damages the image and dignity of the female group, then this practice will arouse strong public disgust and resistance. As a result, Bee Flower had to re-evaluate its advertising strategy to ensure that its message was in line with the requirements of the times and the expectations of society.

Secondly, the audience of advertising, the majority of women, also needs to have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong when receiving advertising information. Advertising is not only a promotional tool for businesses, they can also shape people's aesthetics and values. Female consumers, as an important part of this society, their aesthetic standards and acceptance are directly related to the effectiveness and influence of advertising. Therefore, female consumers should selectively filter information when faced with advertising information to avoid being misled by vulgar or inappropriate advertising content.

Finally, ad makers and communicators themselves should also be aware of their social responsibilities. Both the media and companies should adhere to the bottom line of ethics in the production of advertisements, respect women's bodies and images, and convey positive and healthy values.

No corporate PR is a one-shot deal, and sincerity can be exchanged for sincerity. Brands need to build lasting relationships with consumers in a way that is genuine and close to life, rather than competing with vulgar antagonisms and stereotypes. Only in this way can advertising become a force for social harmony and progress, rather than a trigger for negative social repercussions.

This "bee flower" incident is not only a warning to the bee flower company, but also a reminder to all advertising practitioners and recipients. Each of us has the responsibility to advocate correct aesthetic concepts in our daily lives, improve personal quality, and jointly create a civilized, open and inclusive social atmosphere. Only when each of us can achieve self-discipline and self-reflection can our society be more harmonious and the development of the advertising industry can be healthier and longer-term.

Fourth, the vigilance of advertising ethics and advertising image in society

In the social discussion triggered by the incident of "Bee Flower Scandalizing Women's Caricatures", public opinions are divided, ranging from voices supporting the creative expression of advertisers to strong dissatisfaction with their use of cartoons to scandalize women. This phenomenon reveals the double-edged nature of the "advertising image" as a marketing tool in modern business activities. On the one hand, advertising can effectively convey product or service information, shape brand image, and promote consumer awareness. On the other hand, if not handled properly, it can have a negative impact and damage brand value and social image. Therefore, it is particularly important to examine and define the ethical boundaries of the "advertising image".

First of all, from the perspective of advertising ethics, advertisers should always consider the relationship between the advertising content and the audience when designing the advertising image. It's not just about how to engage consumers with visual elements, it's more about making sure those elements don't mislead, discriminate, or harm any group.

For example, in the case of the "Bee Flower Scandalizing Women" incident, if the cartoon depicts women in an insulting or discriminatory way, then it violates the ethical principles of respecting diversity and opposing gender discrimination. BMW's advertising slogan "You're not the first to harness her, but do you care?" ", comparing women to used cars; In the reversal advertisement of the cotton era, a woman came home late at night and was followed by a man in black, and the woman was in a hurry to get wise, and used the cotton era wipes to remove her makeup, and after removing the makeup, she became ugly and successfully protected herself, and was questioned for "not only ugly women, but also beautify tracking". In the past one or two years, this kind of advertisement has also appeared repeatedly, such as the "Five Female Doctors" who sell appearance anxiety, and the "Haohuanluo" who overturned on the popularity of Women's Day. When "funny memes", "tearing topics" and "women's issues" can always quickly attract attention and bring heat, companies are easy to be led astray, so as to test the edge of vulgarity or even insult women.

In fact, this kind of marketing effect of vulgarity and humiliation of women is often counterproductive. Poor and controversial traffic not only fails to drive the long-term development of the company, but is also suspected of violating relevant laws. Brands such as Bee Flower and Cotton Times, where the main consumer is women, are marketed without considering their feelings, and the offended majority of female consumers will vote with their feet and will not pay for insulting "creativity". Further, advertisements that defame women are also suspected of violating the Advertising Law. Article 3 of China's Advertising Law stipulates that "advertisements shall be truthful and lawful, and express the content of advertisements in a healthy form of expression", and Article 9, paragraph 7 stipulates: "(shall not) obstruct social public order or violate good social customs." In fact, the "five female doctors" in the above-mentioned enterprises were fined 200,000 yuan for this.

Therefore, the visual elements in the ad must be rigorously scrutinized to avoid any information that could be considered inappropriate or harmful. With regard to vulgar advertisements that have a vile impact, the relevant departments must not sit idly by and ignore them, and should clean up the "axe rectification" in accordance with the law. If the cartoon involved is characterized as an illegal advertisement by the administrative law enforcement agency, according to China's Advertising Law, a fine of between 200,000 and 1,000,000 RMB may be imposed.

To sum up, the "advertising image" is not only a symbol system composed of a series of visual symbols, but also contains profound values and social significance. In this system, the role of advertisers is not only creators, but also gatekeepers, who need to uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and inclusion while pursuing commercial interests in order to build and maintain a healthy and positive socio-cultural environment. Only in this way can advertising truly play its due positive role and bring positive impact to society.

V. Conclusion

"Bee Flower Ugly Women's Comics" has caused an uproar on the Internet, which shows that the current society is in a period of transition, and traditional social ethics, family ethics and consumer ethics are facing new challenges.

As advertisers, we should face these new ethical issues with a more responsible attitude, and don't think that popular memes are fashionable, and eyeball-style marketing that violates the mainstream values of society is shooting yourself in the foot.

If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools. To govern edge marketing, the key premise is to pull out a "negative list" with clear boundaries for edge marketing or vulgar marketing. Legislatures, market regulation departments, internet information offices, consumer associations, and other relevant parties should join forces with online platforms and industry associations to make detailed interpretations of relevant laws and regulations in response to the chaos of border rubbing, clarifying the concept, scope, manifestations, and characteristics of edge marketing, clarifying governance rules and standards, pulling out a "negative list", and drawing a clear bottom line of the law. With the "negative list", the governance of edge marketing and vulgar marketing will change from abstract to concrete, from vague to clear, the illegal attributes of edge marketing and vulgar marketing will be highlighted, and the living space will be compressed. At the same time, the "negative list" can also provide a clearer basis for social supervision, regulatory departments and online platform governance, and consumer rights protection, and help build consensus on social governance.

We hope that after the "Bee Flower Scandalization of Women's Cartoons" incident, the relevant departments can issue relevant policies to standardize and guide the ethical issues exposed in the "Bee Flower Scandalization of Women's Cartoons" incident, so that advertisers can correctly understand the problems existing in advertising creation and assume corresponding social responsibilities.

In short, although the "bee flower" incident is an accidental incident, the problems it has exposed are worthy of our deep consideration. It reminds the entire advertising industry that it is necessary to treat advertising creation with a more prudent attitude and adhere to the ethical bottom line, so as to promote the long-term healthy growth of the advertising industry and ultimately achieve a win-win situation for businesses, consumers and society.

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appendix

Figure 1 "See what is a real and fake girlfriend"