Hair-care brand Shea Moisture has, for years, been embraced by women of color. But a video posted on their Facebook page recently rubbed their loyal customer base the wrong way.
The video focused on two white women who complained about their “hair hate,” and the reaction from African-American women on social media was swift.
Within hours, there were memes circulating online mocking the brand, and women were accusing them of turning their backs on the consumers who made them what they are.
We’ve seen a lot of examples of this recently — from Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi commercial to Nivea’s “White is Purity” ad that sparked social-media outrage.
So, what’s the deal? Don’t advertisers have better ways of avoiding this kind of controversy?
I spoke with Cheryl Grace more about this. She’s the senior vice president for strategic community alliances and consumer engagement at Nielsen.
