It's been a helluva week for people and companies being tone-deaf about race relations! First there was the Pepsi ad fiasco. Then there was...whatever John Mayer is doing in his new music video. And now, Nivea is in hot water for releasing a deodorant ad with the tagline "White is purity." Seriously, there was nobody in the office that thought that was a bad idea?
According to the Chicago Tribune, the deodorant ad was originally targeted for the company's followers in the Middle East. Presumably trying to make the point that the Invisible For Black & White deodorant didn't leave any marks on black or white clothing, the image was posted to instagram with the caption "Keep it clean, keep it bright. Don't let anything ruin it, #invisible."
Would you be shocked to learn that this was quickly compared to some white supremacist slogans? In fact, according to the New York Times, white supremacists online took it as a sign that Nivea was down with their cause. Others remarked that it wasn't the first time the German company made a weird racial comment with their ads. In 2011, Nivea released an ad for their men's grooming line with the tagline "Re-civilize Yourself," featuring a black man hurling a disembodied head with an Afro.
Nivea reportedly said in a statement, "We are deeply sorry to anyone who may take offense to this specific post. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of Nivea." We don't know Nivea's employee demographics, but diversity is only as valuable as you allow it to be. There's no point in having employees of different genders and races if you don't listen to them when they tell you something is a bad idea.
Though what's worse, someone saying this was a bad idea and being ignored, or literally everybody thinking this was great?
