This is round two of marketing the L’Oreal brand to black women, who spend three times more on beauty products than their white counterparts – and with a growing black middle class on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s a target group not to be ignored.

Any number of entities could have been the target of vitriol after the release of the advert; Beyonce, the creative director of the advert or even the magazines which published it could have taken the hatred, but L’Oreal picked up this unfortunate tab.

The reason I think it’s a chance for L’Oreal to communicate its brand values to black women, whom supposedly feel like they have been slapped in the face, is because deep down we all know what would really drive the behaviour of lightening dark skin. And we don’t like it.

The L’Oreal brand is damaged if it is true that blacks really believe L’Oreal dislikes black women.

The L’Oreal brand isn’t damaged if it’s true that blacks believed whites subconsciously dislike, or are put off by, products with adverts featuring black people.

If the latter statement is true the outrage would be towards those whites rather than L’Oreal as a brand.
It’s all about understanding the player and the game.

The offended [blacks] will understand – not necessarily tolerate – the alleged offender [L’Oreal], if the offender is a player who was simply adhering to rules of a game [black doesn’t sell].