- Kyle Chua
TikTok Bans Live Car Sellers in China That Use Sex To Sell
Douyin, the equivalent of TikTok in China, is clamping down on live streamers in the automotive sales industry who are said to be using sex to sell.
The platform today released a governance announcement stressing it will severely punish sellers who use gimmicks that are vulgar in nature in their live streams. It also said that it has punished a total of 5,956 accounts since June of this year.
In a bid to maintain what it describes as a clean and healthy live broadcasting community, the new announcement prohibits certain content and activity during streams.
One of which is employing sexual innuendos or metaphors to market cars, which covers seductively touching the gear stick of the car, among other actions that might imply a provocative meaning.
Another thing streamers aren’t allowed to do is to use their voices to titillate viewers or engage them in a sexual manner. This includes moaning and panting. They also can’t talk about gender topics during streams.
Third, streamers can’t create a sexually suggestive atmosphere to show the car, such as lying down on the seats or hopping inside the trunk.
They also can’t use vulgar dances or any movements that are sexual in nature while showcasing the car. This covers posing in the car or lying on it to flaunt body curves.
Lastly, streamers cannot wear revealing clothing during streams, including black silk dresses, fishing net socks, tight hip skirts and other “sexy” attire. They now have to be in “professional clothing”, as the announcement points out.
The real-time live selling phenomenon, sometimes called “live e-commerce”, seemingly took off in China during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This trend, which allows retailers to interact with customers online, generated about US$135 billion in revenue. It got so big that almost every industry attempted to capitalise on the new selling method to expand its reach.
Considering the sheer number of retailers now using these new means to sell, it’s almost unavoidable for some of them to employ different approaches to market their products. And with China’s strict policies on internet content, Douyin perhaps decided to put its foot down and ban streamers from using sex to sell before others follow.
Douyin, the equivalent of TikTok in China, is clamping down on live streamers in the automotive sales industry who are said to be using sex to sell.
The platform today released a governance announcement stressing it will severely punish sellers who use gimmicks that are vulgar in nature in their live streams
Among the content and actions that are now banned, include seductively touching the gear of the car and lying on the seats.
The platform also said that it has punished a total of 5,956 accounts since June of this year.