12 Biggest Brand Blunders In History

6. Fiat And Richard Gere Are Now Hated In China... After The Actor Drove To Tibet In An Advert For A Lancia Delta

In 2008, Fiat released an advert so controversial that they were forced to apologise to the Chinese - and that made both the car company and actor Richard Gere hated in that nation. To be fair, actor Gere was already despised in China due to the fact he is a Buddhist and a long-time campaigner for Tibetan independence, but Fiat cost themselves a huge amount of business in the biggest market in the world with their Lancia Delta advert.

In the 45-second-long commercial, Gere drives a Lancia Delta from Hollywood to the Potala Palace, which is the former residence of the Dalai Lama. Gere then meets a young Buddhist boy and they plunge their hands into snow - before the message "The power to be different" appears on the screen. Fiat were forced to apologise for the advert after the Chinese accused them of advocating Tibetan independence - and sales of their cars absolutely plummeted in the Far East.