Plus: Trump signals another TikTok reprieve; New York crime is down but people need to feel safe.
By now, you’ve heard of the Sydney Sweeney/American Eagle collab that raised furor (and praise) over her great jeans/genes. But America isn’t the only country dealing with allegations of advertising that misses the mark in the racial and cultural sensitivity department.
Some Chinese consumers are calling for a boycott of Swiss brand Swatch after the watch company featured a campaign image of an Asian model pulling his eyes back at the corners in a gesture some see as mocking or stereotyping Asian people.
“We treat this matter with the utmost importance and have immediately removed all related materials worldwide,” Swatch said in an apology statement.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority banned an ad from Colgate-Palmolive-owned Sanex shower gel for suggesting that darker skin is itchy and dry while white skin is smooth and desirable. The ASA said that the ad “could be interpreted as suggesting that white skin was superior to black skin.”
“Our advert was intended to highlight how our Skin Therapy range supports healthy skin across a variety of skin types,” Colgate-Palmolive responded in a statement.
Why it matters: The concept known as DEI isn’t dead. The name itself may be under attack, but these last few weeks show how important it remains to continue to consider the depictions and inclusion of people of varying ethnic and racial backgrounds.
It’s true that Donald Trump himself championed the Sydney Sweeney ad some said had eugenicist implications, which caused a sharp bump in stock price. But not every American audience will be swayed by the endorsement of the president and certainly many international audiences will not be.
Portraying people in a way that considers stereotypes and history is vital. In some cases, the damage is reputational, such as the Chinese furor and calls for a boycott over the Swatch ad. It’s unclear whether or not that will materialize into action. But in the Sanex case, the brand had to scrap an entire advertisement – not a cheap proposition.
PR professionals can and should help serve as cultural ambassadors to help avoid these mishaps that damage customer trust. This isn’t a matter of politics – it’s about avoiding embarrassing public missteps that damage the bottom line in the long run. The best crisis management is always the one that’s avoided before it ever becomes public.
Editor’s Top Reads:
- In a move that’s unsurprising yet still significant, Trump said that he will push back the requirement that TikTok sell its Chinese interests to an American company. This was broadly signaled, since the White House started an official TikTok account last week, but this is official confirmation that TikTok isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “We’re gonna watch the security concerns,” Trump said, adding, “We have buyers, American buyers.” However, given Trump’s mercurial nature, this could change at any time. Continue to develop your Plan Bs, but don’t panic in the short term.
- New York City should be celebrating a milestone: Shootings hit a record low for 2025 so far. Yet many New Yorkers still don’t feel safe in the city and the Trump administration continues to hyperfocus on crime in liberal cities by calling in the National Guard. The Wall Street Journal noted that, regardless of the statistics, people form their opinions based on what they see on social media or in the news. “If you’re running a city and you’re not deploying strategies to directly combat fear, then you’re going to face more pressure to crack down, simply make arrests and move away from the comprehensive and balanced strategies we know can work,” Adam Gelb, president of thinktank Council on Criminal Justice, said. Some aspects of this come from on-the-ground policing tactics, but some of it comes back to PR. The Journal article is one such attempt to control the narrative by touting those record-breaking numbers but showing how the department is continuing its work to not just be safer but to feel safer, while also differentiating itself from the controversial 1990s-era “broken windows” policies. It’s a reminder that perception is reality, and that how people feel is as important as what’s true.
- We often focus on the words we use to deliver messages. But the timing and method of those communications is just as important. A New York Times columnist detailed the experiences of his wife (herself a New York Times reporter) being notified of a partial denial of a preauthorization via snail mail 36 hours before her breast cancer surgery. Without delving into the intricacies of preauthorization, the columnist had one question: Why was he notified by paper mail instead of a speedier method, such as email or text, so the issue could have been dealt with sooner? The answer from UnitedHealthcare is that paperless messages are opt-in. So users must take an additional step to get faster communications. While there may be legal reasons for requiring people to opt out of paper messages, simply being more proactive about helping people understand their communications choices could save a great deal of heartache and stress during sensitive times.
Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.
The post The Scoop: Controversies about racially insensitive marketing spread around the globe appeared first on PR Daily.
