Naked Coffee apologises after sexual harassment campaign sparks outrage

A Johannesburg coffee shop has found itself at the centre of a growing social media storm after a marketing campaign intended to be humorous instead ignited a wider conversation about sexual harassment, brand responsibility and the limits of advertising.

Naked Coffee, based in Illovo, has since apologised after many South Africans criticised the campaign for making light of behaviour that remains a daily reality for countless hospitality workers and survivors of gender-based violence.

The backlash reportedly began after Naked Coffee shared what it described as an ‘open letter’ to a customer who had allegedly made repeated comments to one of its waiters during an evening service. The post suggested the customer repeatedly asked the waiter about ‘sausage’ before ending with a promotion for the café’s after-dark menu.

Although the business said it wanted to address inappropriate behaviour towards staff, many online users argued the campaign blurred the line between raising awareness and using sexual harassment as a marketing hook.

Within hours, screenshots of the post spread across social media, with users questioning whether serious issues such as workplace harassment should ever be used to attract attention or drive engagement. The original post was later removed.

‘Ma’am, you asked multiple times. Each time directed at the same waiter whose identity for confidentiality reasons, we cannot disclose. While we can appreciate a lot of our staff do look good naked, this does not excuse your lewd behaviour,’ – Naked Coffee

Among the strongest critics was author and gender-based violence activist Tivania Moodley, who said in a Facebook post that creative advertising has an important place but should never ignore the realities many South Africans live with.

‘As a sexual assault survivor, I don’t find this campaign funny. I know what it feels like to have your boundaries ignored while someone else laughs,’ – Tivania Moodley on Facebook

She argued that hospitality employees, particularly younger workers, are frequently subjected to uncomfortable interactions with customers while feeling pressured to remain professional. Moodley also questioned the thinking behind using such a sensitive subject for a promotional campaign.

“Good copy doesn’t just get attention, it understands context. There’s a big difference between making people laugh and normalising behaviour that countless people already endure every single day.” – Tivania Moodley on Facebook

Her comments resonated widely online, with many social media users echoing concerns that South Africa’s high levels of gender-based violence demand greater sensitivity from companies when planning advertising campaigns.

Following the criticism, Naked Coffee issued a public apology on its socials acknowledging that its message had missed the mark. ‘We want to be unequivocally clear: we would never make light of something as serious as sexual harassment or gender based-violence,’ the café said.

It added that the campaign was intended to portray a fictional interaction but accepted responsibility for the wording and how it had been received.

‘We’re sorry. We’ll learn from this and do better.’ – Naked Coffee via Instagram

Despite the apology, not everyone was convinced. Food content creator Nicky Barber reportedly questioned whether the statement fully addressed the concerns being raised, arguing it appeared to focus more on how people interpreted the campaign than on the decision to use the subject matter in the first place.

‘The other thing is they were like, ‘Oh well, sorry if you didn’t interpret the joke correctly.’ So, they almost made it like everybody else’s problem in terms of comprehension, versus what the actual problem was, which was the subject matter that they chose to joke about,’ – Nicky Barber

She also criticised the removal of the original post and said both the campaign and apology should have remained visible as part of a transparent response.

For many, the issue was never whether the joke landed, but whether sexual harassment should have been used as the foundation of a marketing campaign at all. As the conversation continues online, the incident is serving as a reminder that while attention can be valuable for brands, trust is far harder to rebuild once it has been lost.

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