Ignorance Is Costly: The High Price of Getting Multicultural Marketing Wrong.
- Identity Creates
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
A Sanex Case Study
So the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. But when it comes to multicultural marketing, PR, and Diverse representation, ignorance is not blissful at all; it is costly. Costly to your brand reputation, costly to customer loyalty, costly to your bottom line, and ultimately a win for your competitors who are better informed about their diverse audiences.
On 9th July 2025, the marketing team at Identity Creates spotted a Sanex Skin Therapy Ad. Being a cultural marketing agency, we already knew how this ad would be received by Sanex's intended audience, so we polled it to an ethnically diverse audience of men and women aged 18+. At the time, we kept the results internally for our learning, but in light of the current news surrounding the ad’s ban, we are releasing them publicly alongside this article.
The Audience Results On The Ad:
68% disapproved of the ad
18% felt it was “so wrong”
9% said they felt “insulted”
Fast forward to today, and the ad has been officially banned after watchdogs ruled it reinforced harmful racial stereotypes. According to the Advertising Standards Authority, 83% of 110 women felt the Ad suggested white skin was superior to black.
At Identity Creates, we study and share the cultural insights, data, and strategies brands need to deliver multicultural campaigns that are relevant, impactful, and authentic. Campaigns that resonate deeply and yield both customer trust and business results. Beyond research and insights, we also provide cultural expertise services, working directly with clients to guide them through the creative process, ensuring their campaigns avoid harmful stereotypes, connect meaningfully with diverse audiences, and achieve stronger business outcomes.
Over the years, we have worked with household names such as McDonald’s, Morrisons, Stanley, PrettyLittleThing, and more, helping them navigate cultural nuances, shape authentic representation, and deliver campaigns that land well with diverse audiences.
The Ad That Missed the Mark: Sanex Skin Therapy
The Sanex ad that first aired in June 2025 has officially been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after receiving multiple complaints that:
Watchdogs found that the Sanex campaign reinforced harmful racial stereotypes by portraying Black skin as cracked, itchy, and problematic, while presenting white skin as smooth, problem-free, and desirable.
Colgate-Palmolive, parent company of Sanex, defended the ad, saying it aimed to highlight different skin conditions in a “before and after” scenario, not to compare races.
But here lies the problem: the message was neither clear nor culturally responsible.
Why Intent Isn’t Enough:
The ad begins with the line: “With those who might scratch day and night, to those whose skin feels dried out even by water. Try to take a shower with the new Sanex Skin Therapy."
Nothing in this speaks directly about skin conditions, nor does it educate viewers on the issues the brand wanted to highlight. Instead, the visual storytelling itself positioned Black skin as the “before” and white skin as the “after,” which has led to the very harmful perceptions that have caused it to be banned, meaning this ad failed to reach its intended audience correctly.
Sanex may not have intended to promote negative racial stereotypes or negative representation, but the impact outweighs intent. In marketing, perception is reality. Without cultural expertise in the creative process, campaigns risk alienating the very audiences they hope to serve.
Messaging can’t be left to guesswork work it must be intentional, and this intentionality comes from planning each campaign with cultural expertise and understanding throughout the entire campaign process.
How Identity Creates Would Have Approached This
If Colgate-Palmolive truly wanted to represent different skin conditions authentically, the approach needed to be radically different. As a cultural creative agency, we would have:
Hosted a focus group with Black/Ethnic consumers who live with skin conditions to understand the realities they face, how they emotionally relate to their conditions, and how they want to be represented.
Spoken directly to individuals experiencing skin conditions to understand their day-to-day struggles, how their conditions impact their self-esteem and daily bodycare routines, and the kind of solutions they seek. These lived experiences would then inform the campaign’s storytelling.
Refined the messaging and storytelling to explicitly highlight skin conditions rather than relying on abstract metaphors of “ashy” or “cracked” skin. Instead of using negative, stereotypical imagery, we would have curated an ad that tells the story of someone’s daily body care routine, who struggles with a skin condition(e.g, dryness, eczema, psoriasis, etc). Highlighting how challenging it can be, and how using Sanex changes the game for them, offering comfort and relief.
Amplified positive representation by ensuring that models of all ethnicities were shown experiencing both the challenges and the solutions, making it clear that Sanex supports all skin types, rather than implying one is inferior.
At Identity Creates, we use data, lived experiences, and authentic storytelling to ensure ethnic groups are represented positively, while still delivering marketing campaigns that are compelling, resonant, and commercially effective.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
The fallout for Sanex is significant:
Financial cost – pulling the ad means wasted production spend, wasted media budget, and a rush to replace the campaign.
Reputation cost – alienating diverse audiences creates distrust, which is far more difficult (and expensive) to rebuild.
Across industries, the pattern is the same: when brands skip cultural expertise, they invite costly mistakes, PR crises, and long-term erosion of brand equity.
The Case for Cultural Expertise
Getting multicultural marketing right isn’t a “nice-to-have”; it’s a marketing standard, and it is smart business. Campaigns that reflect diverse realities with authenticity and respect drive deeper loyalty, greater resonance, and ultimately, market growth.
The solution is clear: brands must work with cultural experts. If this expertise doesn’t exist in-house, outsourcing to specialist agencies like Identity Creates is essential. We help brands identify cultural blind spots, craft relevant narratives, and connect with audiences in ways that are both inclusive and profitable.
The Sanex case study is a powerful reminder that diverse representation cannot be a tick box exercise and an afterthought. Every campaign carries responsibility. Every creative choice communicates values.
Brands can either invest in cultural intelligence now or pay the high price of backlash and failed campaigns later. At Identity Creates, our message is simple: ignorance is costly, but cultural expertise pays dividends.
Reach out to us at enquiries@weareidentitdycreates.com and let's explore how we can help your brand get multicultural marketing right and avoid costly mistakes.
