China firm pays actor US$400,000 for live-stream, demands refund after dismal product sales
- Company asks Taiwan celebrity to sell wares during special online shopping session but ends up hugely disappointed
A company in China that paid a celebrity three million yuan (US$400,000) to sell its products has demanded the fee back after the actor only sold 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) worth of goods.
Sichuan New Green Pharmaceutical Technology Development Co Ltd, which is based in the southwestern province of Sichuan sought the live-streaming services of Taiwan actor and singer Ming Dao.
But the firm has demanded a refund because viewers did not buy enough of its shampoo via his live-streaming session on June 14, during the annual 618 shopping festival.
A company spokesperson, surnamed Yang, told Hongxing News on August 4 that the three million yuan was paid to Joy Media, the mainland Douyin influencer agency that Ming belonged to, via an intermediary company, for a special six-hour session.
Famous in the Mandarin-speaking world in 2000s for his many idol dramas, such as The Prince Who Turns into a Frog (2005) and The Magicians of Love (2006), Ming has focused his career on the mainland in recent years.
The 44-year-old celebrity has appeared in several reality shows and is recognised as one of the best-selling live-streamers on Douyin with 8.3 million followers on the platform.