No one at Nivea really thought through their ‘White Is Purity’ ad campaign
Isabella Wilson 
Just in case you were wondering what gift to buy for the white supremacist in your life, you should totally buy them Nivea. Anything from Nivea, a German skincare company which has a bold new ad campaign: “WHITE IS PURITY.” The above image is Nivea’s latest ad campaign for the Middle East markets. When the ad came out, many people were like, “Um… WTF?” While Nivea has pulled the ad, they waited until it became a huge mess.
Nivea has pulled a deodorant ad that declared “White Is Purity” after people called the slogan racist and after some hijacked the ad’s online campaign with comments about white supremacy. The ad, which appeared in a Facebook post last week, originally targeted the German skin care company’s followers in the Middle East. It was intended to promote Nivea’s “Invisible for Black and White” deodorant and depicted the back of a woman’s head with long, wavy, dark hair that tumbled over an all-white outfit. Underneath the woman’s locks was the slogan in all caps: “WHITE IS PURITY.”
The caption on Nivea’s Facebook post read: “Keep it clean, keep bright. Don’t let anything ruin it, #Invisible.” The post was quickly condemned by people who saw it as promoting racist rhetoric.
“What the HELL is this? White Purity?” one Twitter user said. “Shame, Shame, Shame on you. Fire your marketing person and anyone who approved this ad.” Another Twitter user posted images of racist comments that had been left on the Facebook post, some referencing the Holocaust.
Still others appeared to praise the ad — citing the same reasons. The Daily Mail captured an image of a post by a white supremacist group on Nivea’s Facebook page that read, “We enthusiastically support this new direction your company is taking. I’m glad we can all agree that #WhiteIsPurity.”
“Nivea has chosen our side and the most liked comments are glorious,” another Twitter user said, with an image of the top comments on Nivea’s Facebook post. One showed Pepe the Frog, a meme that in recent years was co-opted by white supremacists and has been declared a hate symbol.
In a statement to BBC News, the company apologized for the post and said it had been removed after “concerns risen about ethnic discrimination.”
“We are deeply sorry to anyone who may take offense to this specific post,” the statement read. “After realizing that the post is misleading, it was immediately withdrawn. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of NIVEA: The brand represents diversity, tolerance, and equal opportunity. We value difference. Direct or indirect discrimination must be ruled out in all decisions by, and in all areas of our activities.”
An earlier “invisible” ad declaring that “Black Stays Black. White Stays White” was still on the Nivea Middle East Facebook page as of Wednesday morning.
“Black Stays Black. White Stays White.” I’m sorry that I’m laughing but… seriously, did no one think this through??? Did Nivea hire the same ad agency as Pepsi? The ad agency that brought us “Kendall Jenner tossing her wig to a black woman so she could join in the protest and solve Black Lives Matter with Pepsi.” Oh well, at least we know where Nivea stands. Nivea: We’re Not Even Doing Dog-Whistle Racism At This Point. Nivea: White Is Right. Nivea: Endorsed By Pepe the Frog.
Ad courtesy of Nivea, additional photo by Getty.
