A Look at the Balenciaga Ad Controversy

Negative publicity is still publicity, but when do we say that something has crossed the line? For this, we look into the recent Balenciaga campaign scandal.

In advertising, the sight of kids almost instantly captures the attention of adult audience—tugging their heartstrings and inciting that "aww" factor. Given that favorable reaction, many brands have included children in their promotional materials and ads throughout the years.

Some, however, have abused this. In fact, over 120 million accounts and content were removed from social media platforms in 2021 due to child abuse and safety reasons. And 56 million of said accounts and content removed came from Facebook. 

Fast forward one year later and another child abuse-related content has caused an instant uproar on social media. Famed luxury fashion house Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2023 campaign has become the latest topic of discussion about where to draw the line when it comes to negative publicity.