What sparked the coffee machine marketing backlash?

A Taobao seller used revealing images of a female model in a corset on a pour-over kettle product page, along with suggestive text, and coffee enthusiasts reacted with anger. Screenshots spread on Xiaohongshu and Douban, where users called the marketing vulgar and objectifying. The merchant later responded through WeChat Moments. The incident echoes an earlier controversy in which a coffee machine brand used nude models in promotions.

Pour-over kettles are everyday tools for many coffee drinkers, who often keep several for boiling water, drip bags, and different bean types. Well-known brands share shelf space with smaller, design-focused names, so buyers usually check product images and copy before ordering. That habit is why the unrelated imagery stood out, and why the reaction moved quickly from one listing to wider discussion of how coffee machines and gear are advertised.

Pour-over kettles are a daily essential for coffee lovers, and many people keep several at home—one for boiling water, one for drip bags, and others for different occasions and bean types. Besides well-known brands like the B壶, plenty of people also favor uniquely designed niche kettles. Recently, however, a netizen discovered that a Taobao merchant used revealing images of a female model in a corset on a pour-over kettle product page, accompanied by suggestive text, sparking strong disgust among coffee enthusiasts. Screenshots spread rapidly on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douban, with many condemning the marketing as vulgar and objectifying women. The merchant later responded on WeChat Moments. The incident also recalls a previous controversy involving a coffee machine brand that used nude models in its promotion.

When buying a pour-over kettle, most people habitually open the product link first, swipe left and right through the images to see whether the design is refined and the copy is compelling, and only then consider placing an order.

Recently, however, some netizens noticed that the content on a certain merchant's pour-over kettle product detail page was extremely uncomfortable.

For coffee enthusiasts, owning several pour-over kettles at home is nothing unusual—one for boiling water, one dedicated to drip bags, and the rest allocated according to usage scenarios and bean varieties. The B壶 is certainly excellent, a well-known major brand even used by world champions, but there are also plenty of people who pursue pour-over kettles with distinctive looks and lesser fame.

Normally, merchants display product details in the listing to help consumers understand the selling points and advantages of the item being sold.

But the description of this product on Taobao left people utterly baffled.

The product details included revealing promotional images completely unrelated to the product itself, alongside the caption "It really does look alike."

Seeing this, who wouldn't be turned off?

This kind of borderline marketing angered many coffee enthusiasts. After coming across the product, netizens took screenshots and posted on mainstream social platforms to warn others to avoid it, criticizing the merchant for using a female model in a corset to promote a pour-over kettle.

Some netizens said that after looking for a long time, they still couldn't understand exactly how the kettle resembled the elements in the image. Another Xiaohongshu user pointed out that the strap design of this pour-over kettle did indeed bear a resemblance to the straps on the back of the corset worn by the female model in the detail page.

Another netizen said that as early as April this year, when browsing the product page, they had already seen images of the female model wearing a corset.

Some Douban users believed that this approach made it hard not to suspect deliberate innuendo.

Using controversial photos to promote coffee equipment prompted many consumers to contact the merchant directly. The merchant then posted a statement on WeChat Moments, as shown in the image below:

There are countless coffee brands, and to stand out, marketing tactics are crucial. Marketing methods are equally diverse, and this merchant, who used a female model in a corset to promote a pour-over kettle, had actually achieved notable marketing results before this incident.

Many netizens also said they first became aware of this seller through the amusing "dog roasting coffee beans" meme. Thanks to the cute and fun impression created by "dog-roasted beans," many people had a favorable impression of this seller, and the brand quickly gained a following.

However, this pour-over kettle promotion made fans feel instantly disillusioned.

Previously, a coffee machine brand also used borderline marketing, featuring nude models of different skin tones to represent the machine's ability to make coffee of different strengths, using the models' figures to imply refined machine design, and even showing nude models embracing each other to convey the promotional concept "Savor a good cup of coffee, enjoy a good mood all day," which likewise sparked heated discussion online.

Netizens questioned how the coffee machine brand's marketing content passed review. Although the ad did not say it explicitly, several issues could be seen in the content: vulgar borderline marketing, objectification of women, and bias related to skin color, race, and region.

This jarring promotional approach can indeed quickly thrust a brand into the moral spotlight, but seeking attention through vulgar borderline tactics and trading self-mockery for visibility will ultimately only invite backlash and criticism.

Coffee is a beverage anyone can make and anyone can drink, and the people who consume coffee machines and pour-over kettles are extremely diverse. Such promotions may not appear illegal on the surface, but they inevitably spark controversy.

Image source: Xiaohongshu, Douban, internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.