Introduction:The hit TV series *Evernight Starry Sky* has spurred collaboration opportunities, but when the milk tea brand Jasmine Milk White launched a limited-time promotional campaign, it was plagued with issues. From delayed merchandise releases and out-of-stock stores to scalpers reselling at high prices, fans’ enthusiasm quickly wore thin. Although the brand issued an apology and promised compensation, the limited edition paper bags were not made available until the 30th — the latest delay yet — sparking even more dissatisfaction. This article outlines the sequence of events, analyzes the brand’s missteps, and offers advice for consumers.
As the TV drama *Evernight Starry Sky* skyrocketed in popularity, numerous brands seized the opportunity presented by the IP to launch collaborative products. The milk tea brand Jasmine Milk White joined the trend. On November 13, the brand announced that it would officially kick off its collaboration with *Evernight Starry Sky* on the 15th. The following day, it revealed details of the collaborative meal sets and limited edition merchandise, including cup sleeves, fragrance cards, and acrylic standees, which customers could obtain by purchasing designated meal sets.
The moment the campaign was announced, it immediately drew the attention of many fans of the show. Many were geared up and ready to rush to stores early on the 15th to snap up the goods. However, according to feedback from social media platforms, many fans discovered that the official promotional fragrance card meal set was actually postponed to the 17th, and the full range of collaborative meal sets was also delayed. Although the limited edition acrylic meal set went on sale as scheduled, stock at various stores was insufficient and quickly sold out.
Even more disappointing for fans was that even if they managed to secure a limited edition meal set, they might not receive all the promised merchandise. Some customers posted photos complaining that their orders were “missing items”: some didn’t get the limited edition cup sleeves, others couldn’t find the collaborative paper bags, and some even opened their takeout packages only to find that no merchandise had been included at all.
Meanwhile, posts appeared on social media platforms offering the merchandise for high resale prices, and some customers even reported being approached in stores by people asking if they wanted to buy the merchandise at an inflated price. Although some netizens pointed out that the brand, in an effort to prevent employees from reselling items privately, had arranged for campaign materials to be delivered to stores only on the day of the event, meaning that reselling was likely just isolated behavior, it still detracted from the fans’ purchasing experience.
In fact, a day before the event, the brand had quietly altered its promotional content. Netizens who reviewed Jasmine Milk White’s recent Weibo posts found that on the afternoon of the 14th, the official announcement changed the “nationwide launch on the 15th” to a “staggered launch on the 15th and 17th,” adjusting the release schedule of certain meal sets at the last minute. However, this change was not adequately communicated to consumers, resulting in many people arriving in vain.
The various problems with the collaborative campaign sparked strong dissatisfaction among fans of the show, with a flood of negative reviews and complaints on social media. Under public pressure, Jasmine Milk White issued an apology on the 15th. The brand explained that due to unexpected issues during the printing process, some meal sets had to have their release times adjusted. To compensate customers, the brand promised to increase the inventory of various types of merchandise and to release a commemorative limited edition paper bag.
Despite the swift response and apology from the brand, fans’ anger did not subside. Many netizens pointed out that the release times for the limited edition merchandise were spread out, with one limited edition paper bag not being available until the 30th — “the timeline is dragged out too long, completely draining everyone’s enthusiasm.” Fans of the show felt that since Jasmine Milk White had heavily promoted the campaign in advance, it should have been prepared for potential contingencies, but the brand’s last-minute schedule changes and frequent issues at stores not only led to a poor customer experience but also left many deeply disappointed in the collaborative campaign.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
