Soft drink giant Pepsi was in some hot water this week, for releasing a rather tone-deaf advert with Kendall Jenner that had to be rolled back within 24 hours of release - but they aren't the only major company to drop an ad that wasn't overly well-received.
German-based skincare company NIVEA also decided to release an online ad campaign, which has been referred to as racist. The campaign was called 'White is Purity', and commentators believe that the slogan alone should have been enough of a red flag for the ad's creators - but it wasn't. The company has now pulled the ad, due to the resulting backlash.
These are two of the images that ran on social media within the campaign, the first stating 'WHITE IS PURITY', and the second using the slogan 'Black stays black. White stays white.'
The campaign is for deodorant, and is referring to the common situation of clothing - particularly sweat-heavy areas like armpits - changing colour due to perspiration. The 'black stays black, white stays white' sentiment is referring to black and white clothing staying the same colour, rather than becoming stained.
The main advertising image that left NIVEA with heavy backlash. Source: Facebook / NIVEA.
The second advertising image that recently landed NIVEA in hot water. Source: Facebook / NIVEA.
But, out of context, the statements do appear racially insensitive to some. Online, many responded to the ad by saying 'White is Purity' seemed to imply that white skin is pure and positive, while dark skin is not. Others believed that the second slogan, 'black stays black, white stays white' appeared to comment on racial segregation.
Many people on social media have not reacted well to the ads:
NIVEA have now pulled the advert, and put out an official statement for the ignorant advertisements. The company stated, "After realising this post is misleading, it was immediately withdrawn. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of NIVEA."
