A Chinese alcohol retailer was hoping a cruel stunt would bring in new customers – instead the marketing fail saw them condemned by millions.

In modern business, many retailers are hoping for a viral marketing gimmick, but this is surely not what a local alcohol retailer in Zhang Jiajie City, Hunan province had in mind.

The shop owner thought it would be a good idea to force a giant salamander to drink rice wine as part of a promotional stunt.

Instead footage of the event was shared by animal welfare filmmakers Pear with a strong anti-cruelty message.

It provoked massive outrage and was unanimously slammed – going on to be viewed by three million people in just three days – most likely losing the retailer many customers in the process.

Animals Asia’s Founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:

“I was shocked and outraged when I saw this video. What an utterly callous thing to do. The people who carried this out obviously have absolutely no respect for life.

“What they have now learnt is that their cruelty is totally at odds with the rest of the country. They have been rightly hounded online and have presumably just lost a lot of customers. I think we can call that karma.

“What is positive is that this sorry incident has sent a clear message to every company in China – the people will not accept animal cruelty in any form. For anyone to follow in these ignorant footsteps would be nothing short of commercial suicide.”

With no animal welfare laws in China, the retailer cannot be charged with a criminal offense. However, it is thought the bad publicity they have received could yet leave the company in financial difficulty.

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