# Brand Trust

Thirst for Truth: How a Viral Smear Campaign Cost a Chinese Beverage Giant Billions

Eastroc Beverage suffered a massive market sell-off after a maliciously edited video falsely claimed its chairman refused to drink the company's products. Although the company and the original content creator have since debunked the footage as a fabrication, the incident underscores the significant financial and reputational risks posed by short-video misinformation in China.