Nivea has been dropped by its advertising agency after a senior employee allegedly said "we don't do gay at Nivea", in response to an advert that showed two men holding hands.
The comment was allegedly made during a call with FCB staff, one of whom is gay. The news comes during Pride Month, which takes place in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots.
The agency, FCB, had worked with Nivea for 100 years and, according to Ad Age, tensions had been rising for some time, with the alleged comment coming as the final straw.
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The CEO of the agency, Carter Murray, did not address the alleged homophobic comment directly, but made a statement referring to "tough choices".
In a memo, he stated: "There comes a point in every longterm relationship when you reflect on what you've accomplished together and set your sails for where your journey will take you next.
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"Sometimes that journey ahead demands tough choices that lead down different paths. After much reflection and discussion on our creative ambitions and where we want to take the company for the future, FCB has decided not to continue handling the Nivea brand when our contracts expire at the end of this year."
He added: "It is my hope that in reflecting on the incredible journey we've had with Nivea around the world and in your markets, you take pride in what we accomplished together and come to respect the many difficult factors we had to carefully weigh to take this step."
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Nivea represents 1 per cent of the agency's revenue, but in his memo, Carter said he was "confident that we will be able to make this up in 2020".
A spokesperson of Beiersdorf AG, which owns Nivea, told Pretty 52: "The reported allegation, coming from an anonymous source, is absolutely against the values of Beiersdorf, our brands, and our employees worldwide. We are strongly committed to diversity, mutual respect, and equal opportunity - this stance and belief is shared and lived throughout Beiersdorf.
"There is and will be zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind at Beiersdorf. We are an international company with more than 20,000 employees in over 100 countries worldwide. Our products serve a very diverse consumer base around the globe.
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"Appreciating and respecting individuality and inclusion has a long tradition at our organisation. We take the matter seriously and are investigating it but ask for understanding that we don't comment further on unsubstantiated speculations."
Featured Image Credit: Nivea/Facebook.comTopics: News
