Brand sentiments plummet for Osim over insensitive Mother's Day ad

Wellness technology firm Osim's brand sentiments have plummeted from 75% positive and 0% negative to 13.1% positive and 43.1% negative after it put out an insensitive Mother's Day ad, according to media intelligence firm CARMA.

The ad in question was from a slogan in Osim's stores that read:

Beat her belly bulge 

The slogan was to promote its uZap Tummy product which is meant to aid in slimming down. According to CARMA, many netizens expressed outrage over the company's use of the phrase in its advertisements, claiming that it perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes and encourages physical violence against women.

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In its word cloud, netizens previously used words such as 'relaxation', 'massage' and 'comfort' in relation with the brand.

After the incident however, words such as 'violence', 'insensitive' and 'shame' dominated the word cloud. 

The ad also sparked discussions about the objectification of women's bodies, the impact of societal beauty standards on mental health, and the importance of respecting diverse body types, according to CARMA. 

Osim has since reportedly apologised and said that it recognises that the language and tone of the tagline of the campaign caused some "discomfort" and "unhappiness" with the public, according to Today.

It reportedly added that it takes a serious view of public feedback and that it was never its intention to encourage ill-will towards women and mothers. It added that it has a lot of respect for these groups of people.

Osim reportedly said that it will learn from this and thanked the public for its feedback. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information. 

Osim is not the only brand to be in the hot seat for insensitive comments lately. Across the border, fast food brand Darsa Fried Chicken saw its brand sentiments plummet following a recent blunder where it used the phrase ‘type C’ in response to a customer’s comment on social media. ‘Type C’ is a derogatory phrase used to refer to the Chinese community.

Darsa Fried Chicken then acknowledged and apologised for the incident and said that the restaurant welcomes all visitors from various walks of life regardless of race or religion.

It said that it was an unintended mistake and said that it will not answer any issues moving forward outside of matters that do not involve other parties to prevent repeated mistakes. 

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