This week soap-maker, Dove received a black eye for their Facebook ad that implied that using Dove soap would literally wash the black off black skin resulting in white skin, which is obviously cleaner. This ad did not go over very well with people of color, who saw the ad as offensive and insulting. Yet, this is not the first time Dove has produced a controversial ad with racial overtones.
Although some argued in Dove’s defense that the Facebook ad did not display the full effect of the ad which intended to show that Dove was suitable for women of several ethnicities. Unfortunately, that is not what most of us saw. We saw a box with a Black woman in the top two boxes removing her brown shirt to reveal a White woman in the bottom two boxes minus the brown shirt, to reveal a lighter, cleaner White woman.
This ad begged the question, why would the marketers of Dove produce such a flagrant ad with such obvious racial implications? Are we to accept that companies are following the lead of everyday people who have taken great comfort and delight in insulting and attacking Black people because they feel like it and for no other reason than being Black?
Case and point, the two White girls also on Facebook who took responsibility for throwing drinks on two men who declined to stand for the national anthem at a basketball game. Clearly, they felt like they were within their rights to police the guys moral obligation to stand for the national anthem.
Another question the Dove ad begs is: Does Dove employ any people of color in their marketing department? If so, did any of those people of color see the final draft of the ad before it was posted? It is difficult, if not impossible to believe they did. And what about the Black lady who was featured in the ad- what did she think of after it was completed?
This absent-minded ad is the very reason why diversity in the workplace is necessary and mandatory to any brand that cares to appeal to more than just their base. Furthermore, it highlights why minorities need to be and should be represented in something as important as marketing soap, which fortunately appeals to most people of any ethnic background.
A lack of diversity in a marketing campaign makes me wonder who will advocate for the offended and insulted when overtly racist ads such as this are published? Unfortunately, members of National Football League (NFL) are fighting a similar fight with White owners demanding their Black players stand for the national anthem.
The media has long been the villain in deliberately portraying Black people unfavorably, which is why we need more diversity and more advocates in the media too. Yeah, we’ve come a long way, but that progress is constantly being challenged by those who are hell bent on rewinding the hands of time.
Angela Greene is an advocacy expert, a Huff Post contributor, the Education Chair for the Gwinnett Chapter of the NAACP, the founder of Change Agents Advocacy Group, and the self-published author of, Unnecessary Roughness-The Story of a Mother’s Fight for Justice. The book is available for purchase on Create Space, Amazon, and on her website, unnecessaryroughnesspublishing.com. Please purchase your
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