Married TikToker shocked Takagi Ramen used her photo to promote dating service for Valentine's Day
It was definitely not a happy Valentine's Day for her.
A woman is upset that Takagi Ramen used her photo without her consent to promote the restaurant chain's "matchmaking service" for Valentine's Day, even though she is married.
TikToker and actress Chermaine Kumar posted a 3½-minute video to explain what happened.
It started with her mother on Feb 10.
"On Monday, my mum casually mentioned that her boss was asking for a photo of me and my help for a social media marketing campaign for Valentine's Day," said Chermaine in the video.
Her mother is a manager at Takagi Ramen.
Chermaine continued: "Thinking that it was to engage me as a content creator, my mum replied with two TikTok videos to show him that this is my style of TikTok.
"After that, he was asking for my age, my height and my weight, which is a bit weird, but she just replied anyway. After that, there was no further correspondence on what this was about."
The next day, a friend sent her a link and she opened it.
"I was so shocked because it turns out my face had been used for a dating social media campaign, or rather, a matchmaking service run by an F&B company," said Chermaine.
In a Feb 10 news release about the campaign, Takagi Ramen said: "We've noticed many solo diners enjoying our ramen, and we wanted to create a fun and engaging way to foster connections this Valentine's Day. Our goal is to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere where everyone feels included, whether they're looking for romance or simply friendship.
"Our matchmaking post will encourage customers to share a little about themselves and what they're looking for in a connection (whether it be friendship, romance, or simply someone to share a bowl of ramen with!). We'll then facilitate connections between interested individuals."
Chermaine said in her video: "As a professional actor, I reached out and explained to them that using my image for their brand without permission could really affect future opportunities for me...
"So I proposed a solution. Why don't you engage me as a paid actor? But I was really disappointed with their response because firstly they claimed that my mother obtained permission from me and gave consent.
"But this is not school excursion form where if mummy say can, then you take it as consent. You need to ask me.
"At the same time, if my mum and I both knew what was the purpose of this campaign, we would never have agreed because I'm married.
"This whole incident has been really unpleasant and distressing at the same time because i have people telling me every day that they saw me in this matchmaking service."
Her video has since garnered more than 300,000 views.
In response to a Stomp query, Takagi Ramen issued a statement below:
Inaccurate allegations: The video suggests that we knowingly used Chermaine's photo despite being aware of her marital status and refusal. These claims are completely untrue. Regarding Chermaine's mother's awareness: Chermaine's mother is a Manager at Takagi Ramen and was fully aware of the campaign details, including the intended use of information such as name, height, weight, and hobbies. As you can see from the screenshot conversation attached. No prior knowledge: Takagi Ramen's marketing team had no prior knowledge of the level of details communicated between her and her mother, and no prior knowledge on her marital status. As a result of this miscommunication between her and her mother, we sincerely regret any misunderstandings that arose. We have also already repeatedly apologized to her via our communications with her. Communication with Chermaine: Chermaine's mother facilitated communication with her regarding the campaign, as evidenced by the WhatsApp screenshot provided below. Information provided: All details, including Chermaine's name, height, age, and hobbies, were provided to Takagi Ramen by her mother. We were not informed of Chermaine's marital status at any point prior to direct communications with her. Campaign execution: Based on the information provided by her mother, and acting in good faith, Takagi Ramen proceeded with the campaign, assuming consent had been obtained with Chermaine's support. Given her mother's position within the company, a degree of trust was reasonably placed in her representations. Action taken by Takagi Ramen: Upon being contacted by Chermaine via Instagram, expressing her lack of direct consent, Takagi Ramen acted on investigation immediately. The post was then removed from all our platforms within 48 hours from her image being uploaded, and we maintained direct communication with her via Instagram throughout the whole process. We have also already repeatedly apologised to her via our communications with her. Omission of key details: While we respect an individual's right to share their perspective, omitting key details, particularly her mother's role in providing the information and her complete lack of knowledge creates a misleading and defamatory narrative to our company. Legal counsel: Due to the false statements and misrepresentation of key details in the video, which distort the situation, we are currently seeking legal counsel. At this time, we are unable to comment further on the defamatory claims in her video and the misleading portrayal of facts to the public.
