What is a black coffee sign doing in a milk tea store debate?

A Nayuki franchise store in Henan posted an A4 notice reading "If you can drink milk tea, don't drink water," asking people to save water for children who cannot drink milk tea. The store called it meme marketing, but consumers found it misleading, and Nayuki headquarters ordered the content removed.

The staff confirmed the notice sat on the counter for two or three days before a regional manager requested its removal, saying the content was inappropriate. The episode raises the question of where the management boundary sits between a brand and its franchise stores, since a single shop's joke can spread quickly on social media.

An "Important Notice" signed by a Nayuki store has been circulating on social media, prominently stating "If you can drink milk tea, don't drink water," and calling on people to leave water for children who cannot drink milk tea. The store claimed this was imitating an internet meme, purely for fun, but with the A4 paper printed in black and white sitting on the counter, many consumers believe this has gone beyond a joke and could easily mislead the public. As the topic trended on social media, Nayuki headquarters responded that it was the behavior of an individual franchise store and had ordered the removal of the related content. Why do meme-based marketing campaigns frequently fail? And where is the management boundary between brands and franchise stores?

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Recently, a netizen exposed that a Nayuki store in Henan posted an eye-catching notice, the content of which surprisingly called on everyone to "if you can drink milk tea, don't drink water."

According to screenshots circulating online, the store posted on social media on April 25 with the title "Posting an Important Notice," the text reading: If you can drink milk tea, don't drink water. Saving water starts with me. It also included hashtags such as "deadpan nonsense" and "abstract."

In the image attached to the post, an "Important Notice" printed in black and white read: "Due to the hot weather, water consumption has surged dramatically, and many freshwater resources have shown red alerts. We hope all citizens will save water. If you can drink milk tea, don't drink water. Leave the water for children who cannot drink milk tea, and spread the love."

Based on the information reported by netizens, a media reporter called the store on the morning of April 29. A staff member confirmed that the "Important Notice" had indeed been displayed in the store a few days earlier, printed out by the store manager and placed on the counter, but they were not clear about the manager's specific intention in doing so.

The staff member also mentioned that their store was a franchise location, and the notice had only been displayed for two or three days before the regional manager called and requested its removal, saying the content was somewhat inappropriate.

The store manager's explanation was that the shopping mall required weekly promotional content to be posted on social media, and sometimes when they really couldn't think of what to film, they would imitate popular internet memes. "I saw similar abstract videos online and just imitated them. After taking the photo, I put the notice away." As for the issue of the notice potentially misleading consumers, the manager said, "We were just playing with a meme, just for fun, with no other special intent to guide anyone."

However, the store's explanation did not quell the dissatisfaction. As more and more people paid attention to the matter, yesterday afternoon, the hashtag #NayukiStoreNoticeIfYouCanDrinkMilkTeaDontDrinkWater# trended on social media, and netizens discussed it extensively. Some sharply commented, "If you can drink water, don't drink Nayuki's tea" and "Do they not think this is funny?"

Some pointed out that an A4 paper printed in black and white with "Important Notice" displayed where customers could see it upon entering did not look like a joke to those unfamiliar with internet memes, and could easily mislead public perception. Most people believed that the Nayuki store's meme-based marketing approach was inappropriate, saying bluntly that "some jokes should not be made."

Meanwhile, a media reporter searched on social media and found that the store's account had been cleared of content, and the related post had been deleted. Subsequently, a Nayuki representative responded to the matter, stating that an investigation showed this was the behavior of an individual franchise store, and headquarters had immediately stopped it upon discovery and ordered the removal of the related content. The representative said in an interview that the company would further strengthen store management to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Image source: Internet

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