It wasn’t my intention for this blog to center so much around the beauty community, but the Shea Moisture ad campaign to stop “hair hate” was so prominently featured on my Twitter feed that I can’t ignore it.
Shea Moisture is a natural beauty company that has a consumer base made of primarily women of color. Absolutely, this brand deserves to become more of a household name–just not for the reasons that are bringing it to attention now.
Following an ad campaign that featured prominently white women talking about their struggles with their hair, many women of color took to Twitter to start a boycott of the brand that they felt had turn their backs on them.
Shea Moisture quickly realized their mistake- as if they had another choice- and pulled the ad, releasing an apology that included “We seriously f—ed up.”
This casual and honest apology, I feel, was a great move on their part. It gives them a sense of authenticity and makes them feel very grounded in who they are as a brand. A+ from me, though they now need to take steps to regain the trust of their audience.*
*What these steps may be, I’m not sure. But Shea Moisture needs to clearly and purposefully rededicate themselves to creating and marketing products for the very same women who helped launch them into the mainstream markets.
Public Relations: A Personal Portfolio 