China’s largest annual promotion event “Double 11” on the mainland has kicked off ahead of schedule, with major e-commerce platforms busy selling goods. However, instead of participating in the frenzy of sales, JD.com is caught up in a crisis management situation. It started with allegations that the wife of founder Liu Qiangdong, Zhang Zetian, was a member of the “Illuminati” due to a brooch she wore, followed by backlash after inviting comedian Yang Li to endorse the company, leading to membership withdrawals and even causing turmoil within JD Finance, sparking a public relations crisis.
Compared to last year, China’s mainstream e-commerce platforms have started the “Double 11” shopping festival about ten days earlier this year. From early October, the annual promotion extravaganza quietly began and is set to continue until mid-November. Alibaba, JD.com, and Pinduoduo launched their “Double 11” promotions on the same day, nearly a week earlier than last year.
As the “Double 11” promotion began, on October 7th, Tsinghua University graduate Zhang Zetian attended the opening ceremony of the first Tsinghua alumni art exhibition in London. She appeared in a black suit with a striking golden brooch, which caught people’s attention. Some noticed a resemblance between the brooch’s shape and that of the Illuminati emblem, leading to speculations.
The Illuminati, also known as the “Enlightened Ones,” is a secretive organization founded in the 1770s in Bavaria, Germany. Despite its name, their activities are often considered conspiratorial, with allegations of infiltrating governments and corporations to control powerful companies and even influence global affairs. The Illuminati has been linked to events like the French Revolution and the Kennedy assassination, exerting influence on communist ideologies throughout history.
Within a few days, tens of thousands of negative messages about Zhang Zetian were spread, including rumors of her involvement with the Illuminati. As a result, on October 16th, JD Group had to issue an official statement on Weibo denying these rumors as malicious attempts to defame Liu Qiangdong, Zhang Zetian, and themselves, disclosing that they had reported the matter to the police for investigation.
But one problem was replaced by another. Just when the rumors about Zhang Zetian’s ties to the Illuminati subsided, a new controversy arose with JD Group’s decision to have comedian Yang Li endorse the company.
It began on the evening of October 14th when JD announced the sale of goods for “Double 11”. During the launch event, Yang Li was invited to participate, where she was labeled as the “Bargaining Ambassador,” with JD’s official Weibo even using slogans like “A strong spirit needs a healthy body” and “Get 50% off on medicine for Double 11.” Yang Li became the spokesperson for JD’s pharmaceutical promotions.
As a female comedian, Yang Li is known for mocking men in her shows. In a 2020 comedy program, she humorously questioned why men, who might seem ordinary, could exude such confidence. This mocking remark quickly gained popularity as an internet catchphrase. While Yang Li gained support from many women, her comments led to resistance and offense among some male viewers, who found her remarks inappropriate.
JD intended to leverage Yang Li’s celebrity status to kick off the “Double 11” promotions, but the move sparked backlash among some JD users, especially male members. Numerous users expressed dissatisfaction on JD’s official Weibo, leading the platform to filter comments. This discontent spilled over to social media, with users questioning and expressing discontent with JD’s decision. Some male users threatened to return purchases, cancel memberships, and even posted screenshots of membership cancellations.
Following the backlash, JD deleted promotional content related to Yang Li on Weibo, but the resistance continued to escalate, affecting JD Finance under JD Group. Some users of JD Finance expressed intentions to redeem financial products purchased on the platform.
On October 18th, a screenshot circulated on various social media platforms, indicating a massive redemption of JD Finance’s financial products and advising users to try again on the next redemption opening day. This news quickly spread, with calls on social media to “squeeze out” JD Finance. The term “JD Finance squeeze out” trended, attracting significant investor attention.
In response to the escalating situation, JD Group and JD Finance promptly denied the rumors on their Weibo accounts, clarifying that the alleged “squeeze out” on JD Finance was entirely false.
On the same day (October 18th), JD expressed “sincere apologies” for the possible negative experience caused by inviting Yang Li as a spokesperson and stated there were no further cooperation plans with her.
The controversy ignited by JD’s decision to have Yang Li endorse the company continues to brew, with many on social media criticizing JD for lacking market considerations by choosing Yang Li, who is perceived to have offended men, as their spokesperson.
According to data from Aurora Big Data and Aurora Research Report, JD, which originally focused on selling electronics, has a user base where 58.3% are male and 41.7% are female, with males slightly outnumbering females. Moreover, the majority of frontline delivery personnel at JD are male.
On the other hand, some social media comments criticized JD for apologizing and distancing themselves from Yang Li under pressure from male users, suggesting they did not support women in their actions.