Procter & Gamble takes on racism in new ad and is met with praise – and outrage
A new ad to be released next week by one of America’s biggest household products company has drawn outrage – and praise – for addressing racial bias.
“The Talk,” a two-minute video by Procter & Gamble, depicts black mothers of different generations, talking to their children about racism.
“It’s an ugly, nasty word, and you are going to hear it, nothing I can do about that,” a mother tells her young son in an apparent reference to a racial slur. “But you are not going to let that word hurt you, you hear me?”
“Now, when you get pulled over . . .” another mother tells her teenage daughter.
“Let the boycott begin on P & G!!! Cannot believe they would cut their noses off, to spite their faces,” a commenter wrote on a YouTube page showing the ad.
“To all the people offended by this commercial .. not every ad is target toward you,” another commenter wrote. “What’s wrong with a mother trying to protect her children and prepare them for a world that is not always (accepting).”
A website called Conservative101.com said the commercial attacked whites, adding, “In a cynical attempt to sell more soap and household cleaning products to the African-American community, consumer giant Procter & Gamble decided to produce a commercial pandering to what they believe African-Americans think.”
While the advertising industry has been criticized in the past for a lack of diverse perspectives, in the past six months corporations have been bolder about supporting minorities, immigrants, and LGBTQ people, said Lee Ann Kahlor, associate director of the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Texas, Austin.
“Companies are entering into public conversations about topics they shied away from in past,” she said. “I think it is because some organizations want their voice and brand to be distinguishable and apart from the current views espoused by our President and some members of the House and Senate that dominate the media right now.”
Procter & Gamble has seen backlash about its “My Black is Beautiful” campaign in the past, but this video, coming at a time of extreme political and social polarization in the U.S., has struck a deeper nerve than usual, said Damon Jones, the company’s communications director. He said the ad was not meant as a political statement.
“It’s unfortunate that in the current environment everything becomes politicized, because the talk between a mother and a daughter isn’t politicized at all; it’s just reality,” he said, adding that the goal of the campaign is to spark a constructive dialogue about race. “It would be great if we lived in a society where we didn’t need the Talk.”
Jones said he has personally spoken to people who have called in to complain.
“I try to help them understand the concept of the campaign,” he said. “I don’t think race has ever been an easy subject for us to tackle in this country, but avoiding it doesn’t push us forward, and part of this campaign is about getting people to have these difficult disc