Riot's Marketing Technique For Seraphine LoL “Disgusting,” Receives Strong Criticism From Community!

The name Seraphine is no stranger to fans League of Legends. Seraphine will be the newest champion in LoL and LoL Wild Rift. Simultaneously, he is a virtual influencer whose persona is shaped by Riot himself to shape parasocial interactions with the community. Since being active on social media, fans can’t wait for the latest updates from the influencer as if he were a real person.

Like today’s influencers, Seraphine’s posts sparked controversy and received harsh criticism from netizens. It seems that Riot Games’ marketing team took the wrong step. They decided to post on Seraphine’s social media about her struggles with mental health.

It started on October 10, also known as World Mental Health Day, where Seraphine tweeted:

“We are going to Shanghai in 2 days. I’ve worked really hard, and have tried to love myself (self-love), but I still can’t find confidence.

I realized that I couldn’t do all this myself. And maybe I need someone else’s help… so can you guys give me a word of encouragement? I need something to believe in right now.”

Yes, as you know, Seraphine is not a real person. However, it seems as if the words above were made very original – complemented by the casual and intimate writing style that we often find on social media.

Of course, many netizens disagree with the use of mental health as a marketing technique, considering how difficult it is for those who face the problem mental health daily. “Asking people to participate in cheering up a made-up ad is so weird and disgusting,” said one comment on Twitter.

The next day, the Riot Games Team immediately became aware of the controversy and tweeted again via Seraphine’s twitter:

i don’t think i’ll ever be fully ready. but i know there’s people believing in me, and that’s more than enough. thank you so much, I mean it sincerely. I’m gonna face this head on pic.twitter.com/j7xZ7gQHqC
— Seraphine⭐🌊 (@seradotwav) October 11, 2020

“I don’t think I’ll ever feel ready. But I know a lot of people believe in me, and that’s more than enough. Thank you. I will face this head on.”

Seraphine’s Mental Health Issues That Triggered Controversy

Baca Juga

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, not a few people have experienced mental health problems and decided to go to therapy. Of course for those who went through the issue, Seraphine’s made-up tweet was considered an insult.

Natalia Flores does not hesitate to share her opinion on Fanbyte regarding her views on this controversy.

“Seeing this tweet – especially after I just got home from a therapy appointment – makes me sick. This is very strange and disgusting,” said Flores. “His marketing technique – primarily, marketing that utilizes people’s empathy to sell products to potential clients. Marketing that exploits mental health issues in a time of global pandemic where thousands of people are experiencing economic hardship, being thrown out of their homes, and losing their loved ones to a deadly disease.”

Since this controversy, it seems that Seraphine has never again addressed issues related to mental health. Even so, this controversy is still rampant on twitter and the community lol.

What do you think about this problem? Has Riot crossed the line by using mental health as their marketing strategy?

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