The controversy over Starbucks Korea's "May 18 tank day" event spread to an apology by Chung Yong-jin, Shinsegae group chief, on the 19th (local time), following the dismissal of CEO Son Jeong-hyun. In global markets, there have been more than a few cases of misusing historical tragedies or colonial memories as marketing material. The corporations involved offered similar explanations, such as "automated system error," "mere design inspiration," and "emphasis added in translation." But it was hard to avoid the backlash of plunging sales in core markets, delisting from platforms, and the evaporation of hundreds of millions of dollars in brand value.
◇ KFC Germany "Kristallnacht chicken" alert
KFC Germany, the U.S. fast-food chain's German unit, sent a push alert to users of its app on Nov. 9, 2022. In German, it read, "It's the anniversary of Kristallnacht. Treat yourself by adding soft cheese to crispy chicken." Kristallnacht was the anti-Jewish pogrom that took place across Nazi Germany and Austria on Nov. 9–10, 1938. Ninety-one Jews were killed and 30,000 were sent to concentration camps, an event regarded as the starting point of the Holocaust.
Users who received the alert captured the screen and posted it on social media. The Board of Deputies of British Jews criticized it as "horrifying," and the International Legal Forum said it was "speechless and disgusting." KFC Germany sent a second push alert about an hour later with an apology. Parent company Yum Brands said in a separate statement that it was an "unplanned, insensitive, and unacceptable message," and added that it uses a semi-automated content creation system linked to a calendar of national commemorations, but the internal review process failed to function this time. Although it did not lead to a prolonged boycott, it remains a prime example that "automated marketing cannot replace historical sensitivity."
◇ Urban Outfitters "Kent State sweatshirt"
U.S. apparel chain Urban Outfitters listed a Kent State Univ. sweatshirt on its online mall in Sept. 2014 as part of a vintage collection for $129 (about 190,000 won). The garment, bearing Kent State lettering on a faded red base, had red stains scattered across the shoulders and hem, with holes in places.
Kent State University was the site of the "Kent State massacre" on May 4, 1970, when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed students during a protest against the Vietnam War, leaving four dead and nine wounded. The incident remains a tragedy in the history of the U.S. antiwar movement. The red stains and holes immediately drew criticism at launch as possibly "evoking gunshot wounds and bullet holes." The company posted an apology the next day, explaining that "the red stains are the original fabric's discoloration and the holes are natural wear," and immediately pulled the product.
However, the company's explanation was not accepted. Urban Outfitters had previously sold a shirt in 2012 that recalled the yellow Star of David from Nazi concentration camps. The following year, in 2015, it again came under fire for selling apparel with pink triangle stripes resembling uniforms worn by imprisoned homosexuals in the camps. The Kent State incident reinforced the perception of Urban Outfitters as a "retailer that courts controversy." Another controversy flared when it was leaked that CEO Dick Hayne defended the item in an internal email, saying "vintage buyers have provided products consumers want."
◇ Zara "concentration camp–evoking" children's wear
Spanish fast-fashion brand Zara recalled an item of children's pajama tops just hours after launch on Aug. 27, 2014. The issue was a blue-and-white horizontally striped shirt released for children under 3. A gold six-pointed star badge was attached to the left chest. Although the word "SHERIFF" was printed inside the star, it did not show clearly on standard screens.
Social media users immediately said the shirt evoked the striped uniforms worn by prisoners in Nazi concentration camps, and that the gold badge recalled the yellow Star of David that Jews were forced to wear on their chests. Inditex, Zara's parent company, posted an apology in multiple languages on the day of the launch, saying "the design was inspired by the sheriff's star from classic Western films," and pledged to destroy all stock of the product. Abraham Foxman, then chair of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), said shortly after the incident that "the fact that this keeps happening shows the urgent need for education about the history of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism."
In 2007, Zara had also recalled a product after it was found that a handbag bore a swastika (Nazi cross) motif. In 2023, it rolled out its ambitious "The Jacket" campaign, but withdrew it three days later after a performance that evoked funerals for victims of the Gaza Strip bombings.
◇ Dolce & Gabbana "chopsticks ad"
Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) released three promotional videos on China's Weibo in Nov. 2018, just before its Shanghai fashion show "The Great Show." The clips featured a Chinese female model in a lavish D&G dress awkwardly eating pizza and spaghetti with chopsticks. The ads included a mocking voiceover asking, "Aren't those chopsticks too big?"
Hundreds of Chinese models and actors slated to appear at the show refused en masse after the ads. Wang Junkai, a famous actor who was a brand ambassador, immediately terminated his contract. The show was canceled just hours before it was set to start. The day after the videos were released, screenshots leaked of a private Instagram direct message in which co-founder Stefano Gabbana used five poop emojis to describe China and derided it as an "ignorant, dirty, smelly mafia country." Gabbana claimed his account was hacked, but it was not accepted.
D&G suffered a severe blow in the Chinese market afterward. Major Chinese e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba's Tmall and JD.com, simultaneously removed D&G products. According to consulting firm Brand Finance, an estimated 37.6 billion yuan (about 7.8 trillion won) in brand value evaporated over the eight days immediately after the incident. In the 2018–2019 fiscal year, when the incident occurred, D&G's EBITDA fell more than 40% year over year to 87.2 million euros (about 146.5 billion won). Its operating margin was halved from 12.2% to 6.3%. Even eight years after the incident, D&G continues to be cited in global market risk analyses as a "representative case of failing to recover in the Chinese market."