Introduction:When the Changsha-based milk tea brand Cha Yan Yue Se found itself embroiled in controversy over allegedly sexist messaging on its cup designs, issuing two late-night apologies failed to quell public outrage. This incident not only exposed the sensitive boundaries of dialect marketing but also served as a wake-up call for all brands—how should creative expression be balanced with the communication of values? This article dissects the full timeline of the event, revealing three major pitfalls that must be guarded against in marketing content creation.
The popular Chinese milk tea brand Cha Yan Yue Se has recently trended multiple times on social media due to packaging copy controversies. In mid-February 2023, a dialect word used on the brand’s Changsha dialect-themed mug—"jian lou zi" (meaning "to pick up a bargain")—was called out by netizens for allegedly carrying sexist undertones, sparking discussions that garnered over 160 million views on Weibo.
The incident began when a Weibo user publicly questioned the use of inappropriate slang by a female-oriented consumer brand. Cha Yan Yue Se initially issued a statement on the evening of February 19, admitting that the copy on its Changsha dialect-themed “noble cup” had issues with propriety, and pledged to recall the implicated mugs. However, this apology, which focused solely on a single product, failed to appease public sentiment, as consumers further uncovered other controversial copy from the brand’s history.
Faced with mounting controversy, Cha Yan Yue Se released a second statement early the next morning. This long-awaited detailed explanation revealed that the controversial tea packets and other merchandise could be traced back to the brand’s early days between 2014–2015, when the team, in pursuit of creative breakthroughs, had used content that flirted with gender and relationship taboos as part of their marketing approach. Notably, these products had been voluntarily removed during an internal review in 2020, but the company had chosen to handle the matter discreetly without making a public statement.
From a professional marketing perspective, this crisis exposes three typical issues:Regional perception gaps in dialect usage,Creative boundaries around gender-related topics, andA lack of a historical product traceability mechanism. Particularly, relying on "clever wordplay" as a primary creative strategy reflects how some emerging brands, during periods of rapid expansion, can easily overlook the importance of value-based content review.
For professionals in the coffee and tea beverage industry, this case offers practical reference value. When creating regionally localized marketing content, it is recommended to establish a multi-dimensional review process that includes dialect experts and sociological advisors. Data shows that among brand crises triggered by cultural sensitivity issues in the past three years, 72% involved inappropriate references to specific groups, with gender-related controversies accounting for the highest proportion.
The corrective measures ultimately acknowledged by Cha Yan Yue Se include implementing multiple rounds of copy reviews prior to product launches, establishing a system for periodic reviews of historical products, and forming a creative oversight team that includes female members. Though these remedial actions come after the fact, they provide the industry with a standardized approach to values management—the implicit values conveyed by a brand often have a more lasting impact than its explicit advertising.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
