In a 2017 ad, Shea Moisture depicted two euro-centric  women with straight hair and a racially ambiguous woman with loose curl patterns. This change in marketing strategy created a couple of issues that highlighted the difference in the ingredients of the products and the alienation
of the base consumers. Their Campaigning team signaled that they aren’t going to care about this Black market as much through the very much tone-deaf ad. Are you aware that despite Black people making up 12.4% (that’s 41.1 million people) of the population in 2017 US, they dominated the consumption of beauty products by 80% ( that’s 32.88 active consumers)? According to Holmes, Tamara E,  African-Americans spend $1.2 trillion each year, and that number is projected to rise to $1.5 trillion by 2021.  The natural hair community spends its money supporting and providing the bulk of free exposure of one’s service on youtube. This method maintains a loyal base while giving room for expansion. This influence boosted the company’s credibility to the point of mass production and sales nationwide, only to have their presence disaffirm. Remember, nobody likes to feel excluded; it is a defining “slap to the face.”