Barely 24 hours after German personal care brand Nivea released an unapologetic statement indicating that a message its campaign billboards sighted in Ghana and other West African countries carried “is in no way meant to demean or glorify any person’s needs or preferences in skin care,” Ghana’s Hub For Pop Culture & Urban Entertainment Website – www.nydjlive.com after monitoring the account can state that company has taken down its statement.
It is immediately unknown why the company took it off but it seems the statement did the company more harm than good.
In the deleted statement, the company said,
“We have recently noted concerns on social media by some consumers regarding our NIVEA Natural Fairness Body Lotion communication in Ghana. We would like to emphasize that this campaign is in no way meant to demean or glorify any person’s needs or preferences in skin care.
NIVEA as a global leader in skin care has developed a safe product that contains natural ingredients and UV filters, which protect the skin from long-term sun damage and premature skin-ageing as well as reduce the sun-induced production of melanin, which, over time, can lead to an uneven skin tone. The product works with the skin to reduce dark spots and thus, achieves a more even skin tone.
At Beiersdorf, we develop our products with the objective of helping consumers to maintain their skin’s health and beauty in all its diversity, and we have a wide range of products designed to address the different needs of our consumers worldwide. We respect every consumer’s right to choose products according to their personal preferences, and we are guided by that to responsibly provide them with safe and high-quality skin care product choices.”
On October 17 2017, Ghana’s Hub For Pop Culture & Urban Entertainment Website – www.nydjlive.com broke news on a call by British hip hop artist of Ghanaian descent Fuse ODG to get Nivea pull down its billboards sight in the national capital of Ghana, Accra or face the wrath of the people.
The report has since gone viral with several other African countries also opening up on the issue.
This isn’t the first time Nivea’s ad campaigns have offended people of color. In 2011, Nivea was forced to apologize for advertisement that saw a black man discarding an Afro, with the tagline “re-civilize yourself.” The embarrassment from that incident seemed short lived as Nivea once again released a racially insensitive advertisement. Earlier this year, Nivea directed a deodorant ad to its Middle East customers with the tagline “White is purity.”
