Chinese coconut milk brand cops flak for livestream promo with dancing women in tight tops

Chinese coconut milk brand Coconut Palm has coped flak for inviting women in tight tops and shorts to dance and promote its products in a livestream on Douyin last week.  The brand, which was previously known for falsely claiming its products make women’s breasts bigger, saw women dancing in front of the camera with each holding a can of coconut milk.

A quick check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw discussions emerge across several social platforms questioning why the brand repeated the same mistake despite being fined for false advertising in earlier years.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Coconut Palm for a statement. 

The milk brand has been fined twice by local authorities in recent years for claiming its products could enlarge women’s breasts in its advertisements, which was said to be against “social graces” and “interfered with public order”, according to SCMP.   In 2019, the company admitted publicly that its products could not enlarge women's breasts after a social media backlash over its misleading slogans and adverts featuring busty women.

This isn't the first case a brand has triggered public outcry due to false advertising. Back in September this year, even global brands such as L'Oréal made headlines when it failed to dismiss a proposed class action lawsuit. According to the original complaint, the plaintiffs Rocio Lopez and Rachel Lumbra filed a complaint in August 2021, claiming that L'Oréal violated New York and California consumer protection laws by defrauding them into paying for its Collagen Moisture Filler Day/Night Cream and its Fragrance-Free Collagen Moisture Filler Daily Moisturiser.

Meanwhile, Tesla is also currently being sued for ‘false advertising' on its full self-driving car. According to a lawsuit brought about by Briggs A Matsko, seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the lawsuit was brought about “to hold Tesla and its representatives, including CEO Elon Musk, accountable for years of making misleading and deceptive statements regarding the company’s advanced driver assistance systems”.

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