Dove in Hot Water Over Racially Insensitive Facebook Ad

Source: Dove
Dove has apologized after the company received backlash over a racially insensitive Facebook ad.
In the since removed advert a black woman is shown wearing a brown top, which she then removes to reveal a white woman in a lighter colored top. Finally the white woman removes her top to reveal a woman of Asian descent. Source: Facebook

An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused.

— Dove (@Dove) October 7, 2017

Dove, which is owned by Unilever, issued an apology via their Twitter page, saying, “An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused.” Dove also issued an apology via Facebook, telling customers, “Dove is committed to representing the beauty of diversity. In an image we posted this week, we missed the mark in thoughtfully representing women of color and we deeply regret the offense it has caused. The feedback that has been shared is important to us and we’ll use it to guide us in the future.”

Deeply disappointed with @Dove missing the mark. For as long as I can remember, Dove is all we use in the Bonsu household. This is sad.

— Benny Bonsu (@MsBennyBonsu) October 9, 2017

don't want an apology your entire marketing team & the person who signed off on it should be fired @Dove #doveisracist #DoveAd #DoveSoap pic.twitter.com/t8tYTZP1Wg

— Shawn William (@IamShawnWilliam) October 8, 2017

I’m interested in knowing who is in charge of the marketing department at @Dove. #DoveAd #DoveSoap

— Quan (@quantheable) October 8, 2017

apology NOT accepted #DoveSoap

— Beautiful J❤ (@Simply_Amaaazin) October 8, 2017

Angry consumers were quick to take to social media to voice their outrage both at the Facebook ad content and also at what many perceived to be an inadequate apology.