China’s top EV manufacturer BYD, which is famous for selling its electric vehicles worldwide, is in the news these days for a different reason. The company has recently taken a big step against some social media influencers—and the reason for this is alleged attempts to defame its brand.
BYD is angry with misinformation, not criticism
Li Yunfei, general manager of BYD’s branding and PR department, has clearly said,
“We welcome media criticism and public oversight, but we will not tolerate false allegations and defamatory talk. Legal action will continue.”
The company shared this statement through an official WeChat channel. According to this, the company has started legal action against 37 social media accounts, while 126 other accounts have been kept under “internal surveillance”.
Simply, if these accounts post fake or misleading content against BYD in the future, action will be taken against them as well.
Why did BYD have to take this step?
In the past few years, BYD claims that false and misleading information has been shared online against it many times. This not only damaged the company’s brand image, but also caused unnecessary turmoil in the market and affected the automobile industry.
According to a CarNewsChina report, BYD has described these incidents as a “coordinated effort”—that is, all this was done in an organized manner. However, the company has not shared public proof of this ‘conspiracy’.
Some influencers have been found guilty earlier as well
The company says that in some cases the courts have already ruled that the influencers concerned deliberately damaged BYD’s image. This is the reason why the company is now looking stricter than ever.
BYD is also offering rewards
The most interesting thing is that BYD is no longer limited to just monitoring and legal action. The company has announced a reward to help identify those who spread false information.
If a person gives concrete evidence to BYD that reveals a defamation case, he will be given a reward ranging from ¥50,000 to ¥5 million (approximately ₹6 lakh to ₹5.8 crores).
While on the other BYD is building a global identity for its electric cars, and also taking a tough stand to deal with online defamation. It is clear from this development that companies are no longer taking their brand image lightly in the digital world.
This whole matter is also a lesson for those who say anything against any brand on social media without proof—because now the threat of legal action is not just a theory, it has become a reality.
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