Nivea Pulls ‘Offensive’ Ad

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.

news.yahoo.com...


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Not sure i'm too offended by this one as I've seen much worse. Simply a way of turning in the old for the new which was the point of the ad but alot of people are apparantly taking offense at it.

Thoughts?

Thoughts?

It would probably have been more tactful if it were a white guy tossing a gnarly biker's head. What were they thinking?

I'm wiling to bet most black people are not offended by this.
A few super sensitive ones may be and a lot of white liberals are.
What they don't get is that making a big deal out of such a non issue makes political correctness look that much more ridiculous in the eyes of anyone capable of rational thought.

By the way, there is an almost identical ad in that same campaign with a white guy.No one seemed to be horribly agitated by that one.

I do know that if I was an advertising executive, I would shy away from using black or minority actors/models in order to avoid idiotic blowback like this.

reply to post by kro32


It's just the same as if they had a white guy getting rid of his long hair. Perhaps it could have been worded better.

Afros are a kind of informal hair-style, like long scruffy hair is for white (males mostly) people. You can't get certain jobs unless you cut your hair, or at least tie it back neatly. Same goes for a 'fro. It's sad I know, it shouldn't matter what you look like we should be judged on our personalities and competance.

Any way I'm sort of getting off topic, I think it was a bad move on their part.

I don't really see what the big deal is about this particular ad.

Advertising generally always disgusts me, many of their subtle techniques are much more sickening than racism but nobody seems to care, they just accept that ads are part of life. Ads have such a negative effect on society, some companies spend more on the ads than on the actual products I mean talk about inefficient, and they way they twist minds right from a young age to link material objects with happiness and success causes widespread environmental, psychological and sociological problems.

This nivea ad is sadly typical. Its just that the underlying theme is simple enough to be grasped by the masses and its one that's been explored extensively in the public sphere and mainstream media so this particular ad ends up getting undue attention.

The fact that this ad has created a stir means that it worked.

People are now talking about Nivea. Some (suprisingly few if you ever study marketing trends) will be offended to the point of boycotting Nivea. Most will barely give it a thought, but will 'think' Nivea when they go through the body care isle.

As far as an ad campaign goes, they scored pretty good with this one.

A source tells Clutch magazine that the campaign was thought up by a black man, name Cliff Carson VP of PMK BNC, a New York company that handles the branding and marketing for Nivea: “The VP in charge of the entire marketing campaign for the men’s skin care line is a Black male who mainly got in the position to put Blacks on a cosmetics branding pedestal – hence the brand now having a Black spokesmodel.” Read more: Black Executive Behind Controversial Nivea Ad, Apology Released | Necole Bitchie.com

Can't do anything right? They were actually trying to do right by the AfAm community...

Originally posted by peck420
The fact that this ad has created a stir means that it worked.

People are now talking about Nivea. Some (suprisingly few if you ever study marketing trends) will be offended to the point of boycotting Nivea. Most will barely give it a thought, but will 'think' Nivea when they go through the body care isle.

As far as an ad campaign goes, they scored pretty good with this one.

Very good point.
I got caught up in the PC aspect. From a pure marketing aspect, the "controversy" may help their sales in the end. Makes me more aggravated with the marketing/advertising industry than super thin skinned liberals. Could do without either, really.

I'd like to get all the ads and TV shows pulled that portray white men as bumbling idiots and the sole racists on the planet. I dont think I've ever seen a racist character in a TV show, movie or ad that wasn't white.

Head tossing, is a well respected game of sport, between man of valor, of all skin shades.

So this is simply Nivea trying to shed their femmy image and recruit some viking/bravehart types for commerce. Nothing to see here. BTW the world record for head tossing is 183' 7" by Fergus McKidneybeans in 1218, at Glastonberry, hasn't been bested. Probably since we don't chop heads as much anymore. But I think that record may fall within the next 100 years based on current world direction. I think probably some arab will break the record since they simply chop more heads and therefore get more practice. Still, there are other forms of sport so I hope the record stands and that we leave this sport to the past. Let's use the shot-put as it is the more civilized substitute.

Those that feel this ad is demeaning have very thin skin, and will claim "racism" at every opportunity!

reply to post by Gannicus

I'd like to get all the ads and TV shows pulled that portray white men as bumbling idiots and the sole racists on the planet. I dont think I've ever seen a racist character in a TV show, movie or ad that wasn't white.

I tend to agree with you, but I think you are overlooking "Fred Sanford" and "George Jefferson".

See ya,
Milt