The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2017
Watsons Malaysia's 15-minute Raya video used blackface to sell 'inner beauty'
Watsons Malaysia's Raya video showed a blackface woman mocked until she washed her face fair. Its first response blamed viewers, not the ad.
Watsons · 2017-06
What happened
In June 2017, Watsons Malaysia released 'Legenda Cun Raya,' a roughly 15-minute video for Hari Raya inspired by the Malay legend Dayang Senandong, showing a woman in blackface being ridiculed for her looks before washing it off to reveal fair skin — framed as a story about inner versus outer beauty.
Malaysian social media users called the video racist, saying dark skin was again cast as something to be washed away and improved on. Watsons' first public response, from general manager Caryn Loh, defended the video's intent and message rather than addressing the offense directly.
That response was widely read as a non-apology that blamed viewers for taking offense, which deepened the backlash. Watsons then issued a fuller apology — 'we deeply and sincerely apologize' — and removed the video from its channels.
Why it happened
- A story about 'inner beauty' told through a blackface character undercuts its own moral — the visual argument (dark skin needs washing off) contradicts the spoken one.
- Defending the intent before acknowledging the offense reads as prioritizing the brand's self-image over the audience's reaction — the response became a second controversy layered on the first.
- It took backlash to the non-apology itself before Watsons issued one that named the harm — a pattern that cost more attention than owning the mistake immediately would have.
The lesson
Watsons Malaysia's Raya video used blackface to sell an 'inner beauty' message. Defending the video instead of apologizing made the backlash worse before a real apology came.
Aftermath
Watsons Malaysia removed the video from all channels; the episode is frequently cited in Southeast Asian marketing commentary as a case study in how a defensive first response compounds a creative misstep.
Sources
- Watsons Malaysia apologizes for 'blackface' ad — PRWeek
- Watsons Malaysia apologises and removes 'blackface' video feature — Hong Kong Free Press
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