P&G earns praise, criticism for 'The Talk' campaign about racial bias

A new campaign from Procter & Gamble hopes to get everyone talking -- not about soap, shampoo or any of the other products for which the company is known -- but about racial bias.

The Talk is a video that imagines the conversations black parents (specifically moms) have had with their children over the decades about how to manage various racial situations.

The two-minute video is a relaunch of the decade-old My Black Is Beautiful campaign which was created in 2006 by a group of black women at P&G. That campaign focused on celebrating the beauty of black women. The relaunch marks an attempt to shift the conversation from beauty to bias.

Company representatives said they hope to spark conversation about racial bias and ultimately bring about its end.

The majority of viewers have embraced the campaign and given kudos to P&G for creating the video, but others questioned the true motives of P&G and some said the campaign is racist and called for a boycott of P&G products.

"We take seriously the opportunity to spark dialogue on what we all can do to put an end to the harmful effects of bias, and motivate true change,” said P&G’s director of global company communications Damon Jones said in a statement. “At P&G, we aspire to a world free from bias, with equal voices, equal representation and equal opportunity to success for everyone—no matter who you are, who you love, or where you come from.”

Jones was reportedly disappointed by the negative reactions to the campaign, according to a story in the Cincinnati Enquirer, since it was designed to foster communication rather than division.