Oppo has found itself at the centre of a major controversy in China following a Mother’s Day campaign linked to the Oppo Find X9 Ultra. What appeared to be an attempt to portray modern mothers with different personalities and interests quickly turned into a social media storm, forcing the company to issue multiple public apologies.
Oppo’s Mother’s Day campaign sparks backlash
The controversy began after Oppo shared a promotional poster as part of its “Rewrite My Mom with the Lens” campaign. One particular line in the campaign drew strong criticism online. The Chinese text roughly translated to: “My mom has two ‘husbands’. One is my dad, and the other I see twice a year. She barely dresses up for dates with my dad, but for the other one she can’t wait to wear a wedding dress.”
While the wording sounded controversial to many readers, the intended meaning was reportedly tied to Chinese fan culture. The “other husband” was not meant literally, but referred to a celebrity idol admired by the mother. The “twice a year” reference pointed toward concerts or fan meet appearances. The campaign poster itself showed a woman holding a concert light stick outside what appeared to be a venue, suggesting Oppo wanted to highlight that mothers can still enjoy hobbies, fandoms, and personal passions.
However, many social media users felt the wording was inappropriate for a Mother’s Day campaign and criticised the brand for being insensitive toward family values. The backlash quickly spread across Weibo, with several users calling the campaign vulgar and tone-deaf.
Oppo issues apology after criticism
In response, Oppo published an apology on its official Weibo account, admitting that the campaign content and the company’s handling of the issue reflected poor judgement. The company said it had removed all related promotional material and promised to review its content approval process more carefully in the future. Oppo later followed it up with another apology statement as criticism continued online.
Marketing controversies are not unusual in the tech industry, but Oppo’s decision to publicly acknowledge the mistake and respond quickly has also drawn attention.
What do you think about the campaign and Oppo’s response to the backlash?
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