Controversial 'Spartans' add muscle to salad promotion
About two months ago, images of foreign male models dressed up as bare-chested "Spartans" delivering food on Beijing streets made media headlines. The publicity stunt generated even more attention when police detained some of the models for disturbing public order.
Although most people remembered the Spartans instead of the food they were holding, it certainly gave a boost to Sweetie Salad, the Beijing-based startup specializing in salad delivery.
"The promotion generated more publicity for us than we expected. Within one day, the event was reported by over 300 media all over the world in different languages," says Wu Jingran, a Sweetie Salad cofounder. "Many companies and brands approached us for cooperation, bringing more opportunities to us. Within 24 hours, our WeChat followers increased by about 50,000."
