What is wrong with Dolce & Gabbana?
Or 5 lessons we’ve learned today about strategic communication for fashion brands.
The fashion world woke up on fire today because of Dolce & Gabbana. The Italian luxury brand posted a video on their Instagram account for the campaign #DGLovesChina with a Chinese model dressed in D&G clothes and trying to eat Italian food using chopsticks.
What Dolce & Gabbana understands as a tribute to China (and Stefano Gabbana reinforced it on his own personal Instagram account), the Chinese followers understood as racism and disrespect to the Asian culture.
But the biggest problem was yet to come: the campaign was supposed to introduce #DGTheGreatShow the gigantic fashion show schedule in Shanghai for this evening. The biggest show ever created by D&G. And it was cancelled, or postponed, depending on which source.
The IG account @Diet_Prada, the first one to notice the entire issue, posted that the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Shanghai shut down the show. And that, maybe, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are, at this very moment, giving an explanation to the Chinese gov. Other vehicles are talking about postponement without a new date being confirmed.
On Weibo, the most popular Asian social network, lots of Chinese models, influencers and consumers are sharing their disengagement with the brand and are posting arguments against D&G. Some of the Chinese brand ambassadors are dropping out through social media posts.
It all started with the video campaign on Instagram and Weibo, and lots of complaints of the Chinese consumers about how it was offensive.
First rule: if the group that you’re trying to reach has said your communication is offensive, turn it down immediately! Don’t question it, and most of all, don’t reply by being aggressive as if they don’t understand what you’re saying.
And the golden rule: if you’re trying to communicate with a culture different from yours, before launching the campaign is highly recommended to show it for someone from outside of your business and also who belongs to that culture. It would help you to avoid since bad jokes, offensive content, to cultural appropriation, and any stupid idea.
What was the big problem about the D&G behaviour on Social Media after posting? @stefanogabbana
Stefano is worldly famous for being inappropriate on his Instagram personal account. And this time wasn’t different. After a few bad comments on the D&G post, Stefano started to sent direct messages for the complainers with aggressive content and even more racist. Most of it was screenshotted and sent to @Diet_Prada, which posted in their Instagram Stories.
D&G alleged that the two accounts were hacked, the brand’s profile and Stefano’s personal account. But if you follow @Diet_Prada for a while you know that is not an exclusive sad moment and that more than once Stefano was biased and aggressive. Not just with people who disagree with him, but for free. As it happened with Chiara Ferragni, calling her “Cheap” and with Selena Gomez, commenting that she was ugly.
Is that an 8-year-old mean girl posting in his name? Is this an appropriate behaviour for a man like Stefano Gabbana, owner of one of the biggest brands in the world?
Now the problem isn’t about one or two famous people injured. Mr. Gabbana infuriates a consumer market that represents one-third of D&G sales. Not to mention the Chinese government issue.
It all started with the cultural appropriation (please guys, is 2018 and you’re still doing that? It’s cheaper to hire a cultural consultancy than lost billions being stupid).But D&G went further, disrespecting the culture and the people. Stefano called the country “shitty”, saying things about hygiene and bad smell. After all that, the company posted about how much respected the Chinese culture. PLEASE. STOP IT.
It’s not just shameful but is nasty to use a culture just to sell products and earn more money. If you and your brand aren’t remotely related to that culture, even worst if you don’t like it and believe you have a higher culture, don’t try to create an artificial relationship.
Because the link is too weak, as it was with D&G, and someday it will break.
Always remember, it is all about meaning. And currently, Dolce & Gabbana means xenophobia and anger.
What happened today was a master class of cultural approach in Strategic Communication for fashion brands. Or HOW NOT TO DO.
Let’s recap the main lessons we’ve learned today with Dolce & Gabbana:
- Respect your consumer’s culture. Don’t USE it.
- Ask your customer’s opinion before launch.
- If you don’t agree or you believe they don’t understand, listen more carefully.
- Create real attachments with your customers, the artificial ones can break too easily.
- And never be a racist, xenophobic, arrogant and aggressive human being. Just don’t.
What else would you add to our lessons learned list?
References:
https://www.instagram.com/diet_prada
https://observador.pt/2018/11/21/serao-estes-anuncios-da-dolce-gabbana-racistas-e-discriminatorios/
https://www.vogue.com/article/dolce-gabbana-cancels-shanghai-great-show
