Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)

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Controversy, Culture, and Commerce: A Case Study of Labubu and the Disconnection Between Public Opinion and Market Behavior

Authors
Jiafang Li1, *
1College of Art, Inner Mongolia University of Arts, Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 010000, China
*Corresponding author. Email: m2_jiafang04@outlook.com
Corresponding Author
Jiafang Li
Available Online 26 February 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_7How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Trend IPs; Controversial Marketing; Cultural Symbolism
Abstract

The recently popular surprise box doll Labubu has sparked controversy due to its appearance and price, among other reasons. Behind commercial success lies the persistence of popularity or the cooling of public opinion, and what challenges does it face? This study aims to analyze the significant disconnection between the global consumption boom triggered by the trendy IP Labubu and the public opinion controversy, as well as the strategies the industry has adopted in maintaining public opinion. This study employs a case analysis method, a questionnaire method, and a data analysis method, taking Labubu as a case to summarize and analyze the dynamic changes in the market and public opinion. Conduct questionnaire surveys among consumers and other relevant individuals, and simultaneously collect keywords on social networking platforms to analyze data trends. Cases show that negative public opinion is not necessarily fatal. The key lies in whether a brand can turn controversy into topics and maintain user loyalty through strategies. In the future, enterprises need to strike a balance between commercial interests and cultural values and avoid excessive financialization that overdraws trust.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
26 February 2026
ISBN
978-2-38476-541-6
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_7How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Jiafang Li
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/26
TI  - Controversy, Culture, and Commerce: A Case Study of Labubu and the Disconnection Between Public Opinion and Market Behavior
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 50
EP  - 61
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_7
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_7
ID  - Li2026
ER  -