Threads Backlash: Prominent Biotech Brand Faces Outrage for Using 'Silenced' Movie Scene in Promotion; Founder Apologizes

A prominent whey protein biotech brand has recently been embroiled in a serious controversy over ethical marketing practices. Today (11th), a user on the social media platform Threads exposed that a Taiwanese biotech brand used a scene from the Korean film 'Silenced' to create a promotional meme, triggering strong public backlash. Following the revelation, the brand's founder promptly issued an apology on the official Facebook page, acknowledging managerial failure and instructing the advertising agency to completely remove all related images and text. The brand also pledged to strictly enforce internal review mechanisms moving forward.

### Controversial Ad Crosses Ethical Line: Public Condemns Insensitive Marketing

According to the Threads post, a nutritionist user shared screenshots today revealing that a recent promotional ad by the biotech brand featured a key scene from the Korean film 'Silenced,' based on true events. The scene depicts a harrowing moment where abused children hide from their abuser's gaze. The advertising agency repurposed this image with commercial slogans, attempting to generate viral humor online.

The move immediately sparked intense public outrage. Many users commented, calling it 'disgusting,' 'unbelievable that no one reviewed this before posting,' and 'regardless of copyright, this film deals with a deeply serious subject—child abuse—and cannot be treated as a joke.' Numerous netizens criticized the brand for using a film that highlights severe social issues like child sexual abuse as comedic marketing material.

The nutritionist who posted also noted that while the brand's products have previously received positive consumer feedback, this marketing approach clearly crossed societal ethical boundaries and exposed a serious lack of basic copyright awareness on the company's part.

### Founder Responds with Direct Apology: 'Major Oversight'

Facing fierce online criticism, the biotech brand quickly released a public apology statement and video on its official Facebook page. In the video, the founder repeatedly apologized to the public, admitting that using a film about real and heavy child abuse cases as a source of online humor for promotion was extremely inappropriate.

In the official statement, the company revealed that 90% of its employees are women and that the founder has recently become a father. Seeing such an ad go live caused deep personal pain and was unforgivable, the statement said. While e-commerce promotions are time-sensitive and require high volumes of visual content, speed can never be an excuse, the brand acknowledged, admitting a complete failure in management and oversight within its marketing process.

### Commitment to Strict Review Mechanisms: Ending Clickbait Tactics

Regarding corrective and preventive measures, the brand stated that immediately upon receiving user feedback, it instructed the responsible advertising agency to fully remove and delete the controversial ad images.

The founder emphasized that from now on, no matter how urgent a marketing campaign may be, all visual and textual content produced by external advertising agencies must undergo strict internal review by the brand team. Only after confirming the content is appropriate will it be approved for publication. The brand publicly pledged never again to sacrifice empathy and social responsibility for short-term attention and online traffic, and sincerely thanked the public for their swift oversight and criticism.