Swiss watchmaker Swatch is under fire in China after releasing an advert that critics blasted as racially offensive. The campaign, launched in on Monday, quickly spiralled into one of the company's biggest PR crises in years, as furious Chinese consumers accused the brand of mocking their appearance.
The controversy erupted when the advert, part of the Swatch Essentials collection, featured an Asian male model pulling the corners of his eyes into a pose long denounced as the 'slanted eyes' gesture. The image, shared across social media, drew immediate condemnation, with millions of users on Weibo describing it as outright racist.
