Company Known For Soap Is Tackling Racial Bias With New Ad
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Hoping to start a new conversation about race-- Procter and Gamble (P&G) has released a thought provoking commercial, and the ad has sparked an online debate.
"The Talk" is a two minute commercial that shows Black mothers talking to their children about their experiences with racial profiling and racial bias --throughout the decades.
Temple University associate professor Devon Powers says a lot of companies like Proctor and Gamble are trying to navigate in these political times.
"The one's that are bold are saying we're going to do something," she said. "We're not going to stand idly by and put out things that are neutral because the time we are living in is not very neutral."
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The video has gone viral with over 100,000 views on Youtube.
"American society is as polarizing as it has ever been and customers are calling us to show leadership and make statements about what our beliefs are and what we stand for as a company," Powers said. "Who we support and what we want our interests to be even if that has nothing to do with our product per se"
What was intended to create dialogue around racial bias has also garnered some negative feedback. Some are calling the ad "racist" and threatened to never buy P&G products again.
"The goodwill that they engender potentially from this advertisement is going to serve them in the longer term than any kind of short lived social media outrage will because tomorrow its going to be something else," she said.
The commercial will debut on television next week. Proctor and Gamble also plans to release similar ads focused on other issues like gender equality.
