Zhu Hongqi sent a video apology video screenshot
Recently, actor Zhu Hongqi caused heated discussions because of a series of online loan advertisements filmed in 2020. In the advertisement, Zhu Hongqi played a "big brother of online loans", teaching migrant workers to borrow in different scenarios, and was jokingly called by netizens "5 minutes to flicker 750,000 yuan in arrears".
On August 4 and 7, Zhu Hongqi posted videos on Douyin, saying that he was only "acting" according to Party A's requirements, claiming that he was "raped by the Internet", and netizens should not look for him, but should go to the advertising company and Party A. After the live broadcast was criticized by netizens, on August 8, Zhu Hongqi issued a video apology, saying that he would not shoot bad advertisements in the future. Subsequently, he also released a video with the content to persuade young people not to easily borrow online loans and not to consume ahead of time.
Some netizens criticized that the values behind this series of online loan advertisements in which Zhu Hongqi participated were distorted, and ways such as encouraging online loan borrowing should not be promoted; Some netizens believe that "actors must have a bottom line" and "actors have the right to choose, know what to take and what not to take".
After the incident, the company involved issued two apology statements, saying that the short video advertising incident was not only a problem of management review, but also a problem with the orientation, culture and values of the operation team, blindly in order to pursue performance, lost self, lost responsibility, and lost the original intention. The statement also said that relevant managers and responsible persons will be dealt with seriously.
On August 11, a reporter from Red Star News talked to Zhu Hongqi, who was in the storm of public opinion.
——①——
Zhu Hongqi on controversial advertising:
"Compared to the 'magic', the values are not correct"
Red Star News: How did you receive these online loan advertisements back then?
Zhu Hongqi: I was working in an information flow advertising company, and at that time the information flow advertising company was very popular, there were hundreds of actors in the company, mainly engaged in short video advertising, education, finance, social and other types. After shooting these short video ads, we found that the traffic was good, and we were very happy at first, thinking that this was a good thing. But I didn't expect netizens to hate online loans so much, and I didn't have much contact before, but I heard that some informal lending platforms deceived people.
Zhu Hongqi persuades "migrant workers" to apply for online loans in an advertisement Video screenshot
Red Star News: The plot of this ad is actually controversial.
Zhu Hongqi: Advertising is more "magical", and the values expressed by lending advertisements are not correct. Now this video has been "deviled" by netizens, and some netizens have begun to scold. At first, it was ridicule, and then I transferred the hatred of online loans to me.
Red Star News: Why did you later publish a video of "Young people should not easily borrow online loans"?
Zhu Hongqi: This video was posted by me on my own account, which has nothing to do with any company, and expresses my own thought, that is, it is easy not to borrow online loans.
Red Star News: So what do you think about online lending now?
Zhu Hongqi: The state is now vigorously cracking down on irregular online loans, and I also learned about some black online loans before. However, many netizens confuse black online loans with formal online loan companies, and there have been many such cases before. I mean against informal online lending. Looking back now, this advertisement was not filmed well at that time, it was more "magical" and the values were incorrect.
Red Star News: What are your acting experiences?
Zhu Hongqi: I am a half-way monk, and I have been in this industry for 20 years, as long as it is related to filming, I can do anything, because I have no other profession, just a professional actor. Need to live, feed your family. Actors who are not famous do not make much money, and acting is also a few small roles.
Red Star News: You also filmed some of these exaggerated commercials back then?
Zhu Hongqi: I couldn't decide on the content of the script, and the content passed the review that year.
Red Star News: After this incident, will the future advertisements consider more about the company's qualifications, script content, etc.?
Zhu Hongqi: It is something to be considered. To be honest, actors are vulnerable because the power is too weak, and if I were a star, I might still have some say. But in the future, I will definitely have to consider the script, such as online loans and other advertisements I will not accept.
——②——
Advertise as a technical consultant and expert
Lawyer alleges alleged violation of Advertising Law
Red Star News reporters checked that in 2021, Beijing Youth Daily once commented "Resolutely Say No to "Show-style Lending Advertising"", which clearly pointed out that "migrant workers borrowing 150,000 yuan to pay for aircraft upgrade fees" is fiction, and the "performance-style lending advertisement" that relies on fake stories as a gimmick meets the characteristics of false advertising, deceiving and misleading consumers. At the same time, lending advertisements induce people to consume in debt and excessive consumption are also suspected of violating good social customs.
In fact, in addition to online loan advertising, Zhu Hongqi once played the role of technology development consultant and eye patch expert of medical device companies in advertisements.
Zhu Hongqi once played the role of a technology development consultant for a medical device company in an advertisement Video screenshot
Nie Weichang, a practicing lawyer in Chongqing, said in an interview that according to Article 3 of the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China, "advertisements shall be truthful and legal, and express the content of advertisements in a healthy form of expression, which meets the requirements of the construction of socialist spiritual civilization and the promotion of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation", and Article 4 stipulates that "advertisements shall not contain false or misleading content, and shall not deceive or mislead consumers". the provisions of the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China; Secondly, the series of online loan advertisements participated by the actors, fictional scenes such as migrant workers' loan upgrades, staying in hotels, and eating, are obviously out of touch with reality and will mislead consumers.
Regarding Zhu Hongqi's claim that "he is only an actor, the advertising company and Party A should be responsible for the advertisement", Nie Weichang believes that the advertising audience cannot distinguish the identity of the actor from the fake, and does not know that he is only an "expert" he plays; The actual advertising effect that consumers feel is "an expert is promoting a product", and it is a typical advertising endorsement behavior to make purchases based on the influence of trust in experts, so these actors are advertising spokespersons under the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China.
According to Article 38 of the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China, "Advertising spokespersons shall make recommendations or certifications of goods or services in advertisements on the basis of facts and comply with the provisions of this Law and relevant laws and administrative regulations, and must not recommend or prove goods or services they have not used." In addition, Article 61 of the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates that "if an advertising spokesperson knows, or should know, that the advertisement is false and still recommends or proves the goods or services in the advertisement, the market regulatory department shall confiscate the unlawful gains and impose a fine of not less than one time but not more than two times the unlawful gains." ”
According to the data, Zhu Hongqi, stage name Hong Qi, a native of Changchun, Jilin, participated in many film and television dramas and filmed many advertisements. Representative works include "Iron Evidence on the Spot", "Indelible Fan", "Xia Yinjian", "The Road at the Foot" and so on.
Red Star News reporter Luo Danni Intern Zhan Xiangxi
Edited by Guo Zhuang Edited by Li Binbin
(Download Red Star News, there is a prize!) ）