Procter & Gamble

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The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American global purchaser products corporation settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, established in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer health, and personal care and hygiene products; these products are organized into several segments including Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine, & Family Care. Before the sale of Pringles to Kellogg's, its product portfolio also included foods, snacks, and beverages.[1]

'The Choice' ad

P&G advertisement with name 'The Choice' appeared on June 10, 2020 proclaiming  "now is the time to be anti-racist", and "now is the time to take action".It  features the phrase “being white in America is not needing to state your life matters", which is superimposed over the picture of a white person’s back. The ad underscores the idea of white advantage, which has been brought into public talk during Black Lives Matter fights across the globe.

The promotion, made by Gray and Cartwright, shows close ups of black and white skin, and asks how black Americans are to react  “when we are shown over and over and over that our lives do not matter?”. It brings up that “being white in America is not needing to state your life matters. And when your life matters, you have power.” It closes with an invitation to notice that presently is “time to take action”. It urges white people to “read, listen, donate, plan, march, vote, speak out step in, step up” and closes with a web address for a resource guide on race.[2]

P&G anti-racism campaign

P&G's chief communications officer, Damon Jones, mentions that the advertisement is both an invitation and a test to white people to act more when it comes to anti-racism. P&G delivered print and radio variants of the af as a component of a multi-million campaign.

"The Choice" isn't the first time P&G has hopped into the fray with socially conscious advertising. P&G advertisements pointed toward addressing  to social issues – at times called "woke'' advertising – including:

  • "The Talk" - a two-minute film delivered in 2017 that didn't attempt to sell any of its items yet essentially portrayed gruff discussions in African-American households battling with ordinary prejudice as the decades progressed..
  • "The Look'' - delivered in 2019 as P&G's development to "The Talk'' and focused on bias from the point of view of Black men.
  • "First Shave" – released in the same year, 2019, portraying a transsexual man figuring out how to shave from him supportive, elderly father.[3]

According to Dam Jones: “We hope to inspire the silent majority not only to be allies, but also advocates and activists in the fight for equality. And we are committed to helping them on that journey.” The Choice “is so much a statement as a question, both a challenge and an invitation.”[4]

Reception

A few critics have scolded P&G to basically quiet down and sell soap. However, Jones said all companies have an "obligation to step up and lead" on issues of race, similarly as they have with regards to issues like protecting the environment.

References

  1. Procter & Gamble. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.
  2. Fleming, Molly (2020). P&G calls on white people to ‘step up’ and tackle racism. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.
  3. Tucker, Randy & Coolidge, Alexander (2020). P&G declares 'now is the time to be anti-racist' in new ad. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.
  4. “The Choice” is P&G’s commercial to fight racism. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.