The staff at the booth refused to distribute ice cream to Chinese visitors. The reason given was that “this is a limited edition ice cream” and the ice cream had already been distributed, and the ice cream was removed.
When foreign visitors came to pick it up, they not only received ice cream, but the staff also kindly taught them how to eat it.
Screenshot of BMW MINI’s apology
On April 20, a video from a netizen broke the news that at the BMW MINI booth at the Shanghai Auto Show, staff distributing ice cream suspected of discriminating between Chinese and foreign visitors. After the video was uploaded on the Internet, many netizens were dissatisfied. Subsequently, public opinion fermented rapidly, and many topics such as “BMW MINI” and “BMW MINI exhibition area were treated differently” quickly rushed to the hot search.
event recovery
Ice cream “watching people” delivery
In the video that broke the news, two Chinese women asked two staff members at the scene if there was any ice cream, and the response was no. Then a foreigner came over to consult, and two staff members introduced the situation to him, and took out an ice cream from the box and gave it to the other party. Seeing this, the video shooter also stepped forward to ask if he could get free ice cream, but the response was no. After a visitor at the scene questioned the behavior, a male staff member stepped forward and took away the ice cream incubator.
After searching, the reporter found that the blogger who posted the video said that the incident happened on April 19 at the MINI booth at the Shanghai International Auto Show. The blogger also said that he witnessed several cases where foreigners were given ice cream and Chinese people were not given ice cream.
The reporter sent a private letter to the netizen who posted the video, but has yet to receive a reply. According to media reports, the brand’s official account “MINI China” posted on Weibo on the 18th, saying that Luneurs ice cream will be distributed in limited quantities.
Regarding the information posted on the Internet, the reporter called the BMW MINI customer service center, and the staff responded: “I have some knowledge of this incident, but I cannot give you an answer to the current handling methods of other departments.”
Then the reporter called BMW China’s official 400 number, and the customer service staff told the reporter, “Regarding this incident, BMW will follow up and deal with it, and the feedback will be recorded and verified later.”
Reactions from all parties
BMW official urgent apology
On the afternoon of April 20th, the topic of #豪秀MINI改店# rushed to the top of the Weibo hot search list.
Facing the intensifying crisis of public opinion, BMW MINI urgently issued an apology statement. Its official microblog MINI China responded: “The ‘Shanghai Auto Show Presents-Sweet Pets’ activity initiated by MINI is intended to give a sweet treat to friends of all ages who visit the exhibition. Our internal management is not meticulous and the staff’s dereliction of duty has aroused everyone’s dissatisfaction. Unpleasant. We sincerely apologize for this! We review ourselves, improve management, strengthen internal training, and strive to provide good service and experience for every friend. Once again, we sincerely apologize to everyone!”
The customer service personnel of the Shanghai Auto Show told reporters that this is the BMW MINI exhibitor’s own activity, the purpose is to attract passenger flow, and the Shanghai Auto Show, as the organizer, will not intervene.
Regarding BMW’s official apology statement, netizens don’t seem to buy it. The comments with more likes below include: “Epic hip-pull public relations” “AI can write better than you”…
According to another report, BMW China said: “This is a misunderstanding, and the company is currently dealing with this matter. The management of the staff is poor, and internal meetings are being held, and staff training will be put in place.”
At the same time, Luneurs, the ice cream brand involved, also urgently issued a statement saying: “Today, we noticed some videos, public opinions and reports about Luneurs. We feel very sorry and launched an investigation immediately. We would like to clarify As a matter of fact, the Luneurs brand did not participate in any on-site operation of BMW’s Mini brand activities during the Shanghai Auto Show. We are only a supplier of ice cream products. The two staff members and their specific services appearing in the video are not in charge of our company. The brand is irrelevant.”
How much is Luneurs ice cream? According to the staff of a Luneurs store in Shanghai, the ice cream in the store is divided into two types, 35 yuan for single scoop ice cream and 50 yuan for double scoop ice cream.
reporter inquire
MINI is currently on display
On the afternoon of the 20th, the reporter came to the National Convention and Exhibition Center in Qingpu, Shanghai, where the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition is being held. The BMW MINI booth is located in the 7.1H exhibition area of the exhibition hall on the first floor of the venue. It is currently on display, and like other brands, there are also many audiences.
Many viewers and staff who have watched the exhibition said that they learned about the BMW MINI through the news. A staff member of an exhibitor told the reporter that at around 5:00 pm on the 19th, she went to the booth of BMW MINI to see the ice cream distribution was over. She strongly disapproved of the controversial behavior of the staff at the BMW MINI booth, “There is no need to treat them differently.”
On the eve of the Shanghai Auto Show, Chairman of the BMW Group Zipse said in the “Imagine the Future Night” event that China is BMW’s largest single market. In the meantime, golden sentences were frequently sent out: “BMW’s home is in China” and “BMW’s confidence and commitment to China has never wavered.” Zipse said at the event that BMW participates in and supports the development of China’s auto industry, and is committed to becoming a fellow traveler in China’s journey towards modernization.
According to official data, the BMW Group will sell 588,000 vehicles in the global market in the first quarter of 2023, including 518,000 vehicles for the BMW brand and 69,000 vehicles for the MINI brand. In the Chinese market, BMW and MINI brands delivered a total of 195,000 vehicles in the first quarter. This means that the Chinese market contributed 33% of BMW Group’s sales.
sharp comment
Is it poor management or xenophobia
On April 20, a video of ice cream being distributed at the BMW MINI booth at the Shanghai Auto Show caused a lot of unhappiness among netizens.
The video shows that in the first scene, two Chinese girls went to the booth to receive ice cream, and two staff members waved their hands to tell them: “No, it’s over.” In the next scene, a foreigner came to ask for ice cream, and the two The staff changed their faces in an instant, and gave it with both hands, and instructed to open the lid again. At this moment, the photographer stepped forward and asked if “it can be taken for free”. Facing the Chinese, the staff waved again. Faced with repeated questions such as “Have you finished posting?”, the staff stammered an explanation about the “overseas account” and asked others to remove the ice cream box.
After this matter rushed to the hot search, BMW responded for the first time, saying, “This is a misunderstanding, and the company is currently dealing with this matter. The management of the staff is not good, and internal meetings are being held, and staff training will be implemented in place”; on the 20th When I responded for the second time in the afternoon, I expressed my sincere apology for “the unhappiness caused by the lack of meticulous internal management and the negligence of the staff”.
Waving indifferently to Chinese visitors, but caring to foreigners. It is a misunderstanding, does it mean that the staff misunderstood the wrong person, or does it mean that the netizens have misunderstood the meaning? Judging from the video, while foreigners are warmly served ice cream, Chinese people are denied the same treatment. It is obvious that there is a difference between inside and outside, and it depends on what people order.
Not eating the ice cream prepared by BMW MINI is just a small matter of missing a bite or two; “ice cream is only for foreigners” is a major matter of lack of respect for the Chinese people. In the face of Chinese visitors, one moment said that the ice cream was gone, and another moment that it could not be posted due to the problem of overseas account numbers. The staff ran the train full of mouths. , is the second level of disrespect.
Is the “Nationality Only Edition” ice cream the personal behavior of the two workers, or the company’s behavior indicated by the manager? According to the latest response, it was attributed to “inadequate internal management and staff dereliction of duty”. But there is no dispute that every move of the booth staff also represents the image of the company and the philosophy of the company, not to mention such distinct and differentiated services! Besides, if there is no instruction, how can the two staff members make their own decisions and cooperate tacitly to label the company’s benefits as “exclusive to foreigners”, and switch back and forth between indifference and enthusiasm?
In launching ice creams that are “thicker than each other”, whether the brand has mismanaged or favored foreigners needs to be clarified with more facts and details. In fact, no matter what kind of visitors you face, you can’t do things with colored glasses. Refusing to distribute ice cream to Chinese visitors is obviously not a misunderstanding, but a mistake. According to “MINI China”, the original intention of this activity is to give sweetness to the friends of all ages who visit the exhibition, but such “unevenness of heat and cold” brings only bitterness and even chilling to Chinese visitors.
BMW MINI originally had a place in the market because of its small appearance and good functions. As a big brand, it should have a big structure, and it should be the same when it comes to people and things. It is good to appear sincere. In an occasion like an auto show, it is really too small to discriminate when distributing ice cream. Just because the car model is “mini”, the layout can’t appear narrow, such style, it’s not “mini” at all. Whether it is BMW MINI or other foreign brands, if the layout is small, it will only confuse people and make them lose themselves in the market.
Comprehensive Beijing Daily, Chao News, etc.