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Nivea pulls offensive ad
This is an example of a company not doing ENOUGH market research and simply trying to be cool. It's simply ridiculous to assert that a person isn't civilized simply because they have longer hair whether they're black or white. Pop culture has long made long hair, piercings, tattoos a non-issue. However, companies insist that if a certain look is not kept then that person is "less" than others. It's a shame really.
Nivea, a company that specializes in skin-care products, recently released a print ad that it has since pulled. How to best describe the ad? It shows an African American man preparing to toss a decapitated head (his own?) with an afro-style haircut. The ad copy reads: "Re-Civilize Yourself." The underlying message seems to be that afros are not civilized.
Almost immediately, the ad met with outrage. The Los Angeles Times reported that Facebook users began "posting photos of themselves with Afros on Nivea's wall, saying things such as: 'I wear my hair natural and I just graduated with my doctorate! So who needs to be re-civilized?? Nivea no longer welcomed in my household.' "
Nivea has since taken down the ad and issued an apology via Facebook. "Thank you for caring enough to give us your feedback about the recent 'Re-civilized' Nivea for Men ad. This ad was inappropriate and offensive. It was never our intention to offend anyone, and for this we are deeply sorry. This ad will never be used again. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of our company."
This is an example of a company not doing ENOUGH market research and simply trying to be cool. It's simply ridiculous to assert that a person isn't civilized simply because they have longer hair whether they're black or white. Pop culture has long made long hair, piercings, tattoos a non-issue. However, companies insist that if a certain look is not kept then that person is "less" than others. It's a shame really.
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