Popular skincare brand is slammed for fake 'recall' notice on its products - and admits it was a marketing ploy to encourage recycling
- Popular skincare brand Ecostore slammed online after 'dumb' marketing stunt
- Campaign encouraging recycling sparked confusion and fear among customers
- Social media users label the marketing stunt 'dumb' and 'scaremongering'
- Ecostore social media team left scrambling to reassure customers
- Group CEO Paul Kraus says 'no need to worry' as all products 'completely safe'
A 'dumb', 'confusing' and 'horrendously poor' marketing stunt has backfired for skincare brand Ecostore which issued a fake product recall as a way to encourage recycling of its bottles.
The popular New Zealand skincare brand was slammed for its Facebook and Instagram posts on Monday, which advised 'customers that all bottles have been permanently recalled'.
The post, which added 'more details to be announced soon', left customers questioning what was going on, whether the products were safe to use and ultimately anger when they found out they had been duped.
The company has since changed its advice, telling customers not to worry and that 'all Ecostore products are completely safe'.
Ecostore's original post (pictured), advising customers 'that all bottles have been permanently recalled' in a marketing strategy aimed at encouraging recycling among users
Ecostore was founded on New Zealand's Northland coast in 1993. The brand is known for developing, manufacturing and packing household cleaners, laundry, body care, skincare, baby care and oral care products without any harmful or unnecessary chemicals
The marketing ploy was attacked by some angry users online, who accused the company of 'scaremongering and causing unnecessary worry'.
One Facebook user said 'good luck to all the supermarkets getting flooded with people wanting to take their product back due to a 'recall'. What a horrendously poor marketing tactic. I'd be rethinking your marketing team if this is what they come up with' and added 'shame on you Ecostore'.
Social media users have slammed the popular New Zealand skincare brand for its Facebook and Instagram posts on Monday. Many have labelled the post a failed attempt at getting the attention of customers (pictured)
The post, which did not offer any extra detail but pointed to 'more details to be announced soon', led to many questioning its legitimacy and hundreds of angry comments (pictured)
'Recall? I'm using the laundry liquid for my newborn's clothing!! Why are the products being recalled???!!' another commented.
'Very confusing and conflicting - is this a marketing strategy or a legitimate recall of product? I use your product in my business so if I need to pull everything I need to know ASAP,' a third Facebook user said.
'Recall? I'm using the laundry liquid for my newborns clothing!! Why are the products being recalled???!!' a Facebook user commented in response to Ecostore's original post (pictured)
Ecostore responded to concerns and complaints by explaining that the purported 'recall' was merely to spark interest in the company's recycling strategy.
'We have no intention of scaring people - our products are completely safe to use. The Permanent Bottle Recall is designed to grab attention and provides an opportunity for New Zealanders to work together to take pressure off Aotearoa's overwhelmed recycling system. Simply finish the product and hold on to your bottle. All information will be revealed this Wednesday on recall.ecostore.com,' one of the social media team's responses read.
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Ecostore's social media team are still scrambling to rectify the misleading marketing campaign, responding to comments (pictured) ensuring products were safe and the 'recall' was a change to the company's recycling strategy
To clarify 'recall' concerns, Ecostore's landing page linked to the Facebook and Instagram posts that read: 'There is nothing wrong with Ecostore products. We just want our bottles back.'
It goes on to say the team issued a permanent bottle recall 'to change the way they are recycled' as 'they are contributing to a recycling system that is overloaded.
Ecostore Group CEO Paul Kraus told the New Zealand Herald customers had 'no need to worry' as the products were 'completely safe'.
Ecostore's original post has since been changed, telling customers not to worry and that 'all Ecostore products are completely safe' (pictured)
To clarify 'recall' concerns, Ecostore's landing page (pictured) linked on to the Facebook and Instagram posts reads: 'There is nothing wrong with Ecostore products. We just want out bottles back.'
'The Permanent Bottle Recall campaign highlights an opportunity for New Zealanders to work together to take the pressure off our overwhelmed recycling system and present a new solution for how we manage our plastic bottles,' Mr Kraus said in a statement.
'There is no need to worry about our products – they're completely safe. The Permanent Bottle Recall is designed to get people's attention, to highlight the urgency of a very serious problem and demonstrate how Kiwis can be part of the solution.
'On Wednesday morning, alongside Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage, we'll be announcing how we plan to recall our bottles for reuse.'
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ecostore for comment.
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