Page 7 - Business Blunders 1

After receiving the much-deserved criticism, Dove pulled the

ad and unequivocally apologized:

“In an image we posted this week, we missed the mark in

thoughtfully representing women of color and we deeply

regret the offense that it has caused. The feedback that has

been shared is important to us, and we’ll use it to guide us

in the future.”

Shortly after the ad was pulled, Lola Ogunyemi, the black
model featured in it, commented

“If you Google “racist ad” right now, a picture of my face

is the first result. I had been excited to be a part of the

commercial and promote the strength and beauty of

my race, so for it to be met with widespread outrage

was upsetting.

Calls were being made to boycott Dove products, and

friends from all over the world were checking on me to

see if I was OK. I was overwhelmed by just how

controversial the ad had become.”

(https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-41590082/racist-dove-ad-model-lola-ogunyemi-speaks-
out) and (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/08/dove-apologises-for-ad-
showing-black-woman-turning-into-white-one)

Whilst in the Guardian newspaper she gave readers context

and noted that the:

“….full TV edit does a much better job of making the

campaign’s message loud and clear.

There were seven of us in the full version, different
races and ages, each of us answering the same