Defiant open letter to love rival turns out to be PR stunt
Skin care brand behind jeering note that has gone viral
An open letter in a Guangdong newspaper appearing to be a woman’s dismissive letter to her vanquished rival in love has turned out to be a clever public relations stunt by a skin care brand.
“To the former Ms Zhang: just let go, the battle is over. Good men belong only to women who can look after themselves …” the scornful letter read, signed by a woman with a name derived from “Ms Zhang”.
The letter, published as a full page in Guangdong-based Southern Metropolis Daily on Tuesday, instantly became a hit and was quick to attract the attention of both print and online readers. Floods of internet comments indicated that the majority of online users were convinced it was a genuine letter from a woman mocking her rival in love.
“The letter is for the former Ms Zhang – apparently this is from a mistress who has successfully seized her love,” said one comment on microblog platform Sina Weibo.
But a spokeswoman of the Daily’s advertisement department on Tuesday admitted in a phone interview with the South China Morning Post that it was a commercial for a skin care brand. However, she declined to disclose the brand’s name, saying it would be a breach of their client’s confidential information.
Another employee of the newspaper added the advertisement marked only the start of a series of about half a dozen ads.