Darlie is Going to be Rebranded After Black Lives Matter Movement Protests Intensify

Even if you’ve been holed up at home since circuit breaker, some news just can’t be avoided.

Because I’m sure we all know about the George Floyd protests.

Many of us know the brutal murder of the black man by a police officer kneeling on his neck.

This then prompted the “Black Lives Matter” movement to resurge in popularity.

With protests heating up, it’s only natural that companies and influencers review any racially questionable branding they may have.

Rebranding

Even if you’re a toothpaste, you do what you have to.

According to BBC, Colgate-Palmolive is reviewing Chinese toothpaste brand Darlie to reassess race stereotypes in products.

Some non-Chinese speakers out there might be a bit confused as to what the issue is.

Let me explain.

The brand in Chinese is spelt as 黑人牙膏 (Hei Ren Ya Gao) which literally translates to “black person toothpaste”.

So not exactly the best name to have these days.

In fact, the toothpaste brand was originally called ‘Darkie’ before it was changed to Darlie in 1989.

Pressure from shareholders may have forced a name change but the blackface logo remained till this day.

If you’re thinking ‘it’s just a toothpaste’, then you’re in for a ride.

For one, Colgate paid over S$69 million in 1985 for 50% of Hong Kong-based Hawley & Hazel, the maker of Darlie.

The brand controls 17% of the toothpaste market in China, 21% in Singapore, 28% in Malaysia and 45% in Taiwan.

Now I want you to imagine what happens if the product got boycotted.

Every other toothpaste competitor is going to run rampant while Darlie and Colgate lose tons of money.

And these guys are smart enough to know this.

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Recently, a Colgate spokesman came to address the situation:

“For more than 35 years, we have been working together to evolve the brand, including substantial changes to the name, logo and packaging. We are currently working with our partner to review and further evolve all aspects of the brand, including the brand name.”

Others Follow Suit

The toothpaste companies aren’t the only ones making moves.

On 17 June, PepsiCo said it was changing its Aunt Jemima branding. They stated that the origins of the image were ‘based on a racial stereotype’.

Mars Inc is also considering possible changes to the branding of its Uncle Ben’s rice.

However, not everyone wants to go through a rebranding.

The Washington Redskins in the National Football League avoided changing their names for years.

The owner says the name is to honour Native Americans while some have claimed it as being racist.

Here’s a quick reminder to be careful of what you post online.

After all, it’s not just the US but the entire world that’s really receptive to the race issue right now.

Let’s be respectful of one another.

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