Brands Can’t Be Too Careful With Their Messaging

Apologies come in many forms, from heartfelt and sincere to hollow and self-serving. Earlier this week, Zara released a campaign featuring a series of images in a setting it intended to resemble a sculptor’s studio. But the use of of a mannequin wrapped in white material, amidst what looked like rubble, upset and offended many who saw parallels between the images and those that have emerged from the Gaza conflict, and #boycottzara was soon trending on X.

Zara expressed its regret. “Unfortunately, some customers felt offended by these images, which have now been removed, and saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created,” said a statement posted on its Instagram account, adding that the campaign was conceptualised in July and photographed in September, prior to the commencement of the Israel-Gaza conflict on October 7.

At a time when emotions and sensitivities are running high, brands cannot be too careful with their messaging. Check it once, check it ten times, read the room, and ask a diverse range of people for their opinions – not just the middle-aged white ones – these are your customers.

As for those who saw fit to post Zara’s images next to images of dead children in body bags: shame on you. You are using the tragedy of others to make a point that could have been made so many other ways. Do better.