Brands would be well-served to do far more cultural analysis of their advertising. Here, Dove managed to offend and create headlines with a three-second GIF intended for social sharing. It was shared, alright, but for the wrong reasons, from the brand’s perspective. Unfortunately, brands must recognize other perspectives, looking up from their internal perspective before unleashing creative work that offends.

A cultural audit practice would be a solid step toward consistent awareness of the implications of an advert (Dove and Pepsi), campaign (Tory Burch), or company mission (Bodega).

Soap company Dove has apologized for a racially insensitive Facebook ad it said “missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully.” The advertisement, apparently for some sort of soap but which has since been deleted, showed a black woman wearing a brown shirt removing her top to reveal a white woman in a lighter top. A third image shows the white woman removing her shirt to show a woman of apparently Asian descent.

Source: Dove Apologizes for Racially Insensitive Facebook Advertisement – NBC News