P&G’s ad about racial bias will be the subject of a 'Black-ish’ episode
Last summer, P&G released a harrowing ad called ‘The Talk’ that featured black mothers broaching the subject of racism with their sons and daughters. Now, that very ad will be the subject of an episode of ABC’s ‘Black-ish,’ a sitcom about a suburban, upper-middle-class black family.
A special episode of ABC's 'Black-ish' will feature an ad created by P&G
In the episode, Anthony Anderson’s character Dre Johnson - the father of the family who holds a top job at an ad agency - is selected to lead the development of an advertising campaign that focuses on ‘The Talk.’ According to P&G, the foundational story behind the ad and the challenge of making bias relatable are central themes in the episode, which airs on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
The ad itself, which will air during the program, was created for P&G’s My Black is Beautiful, a group that was started in 2006 to spark a broader dialogue about black beauty.
“We created ‘The Talk’ for an important purpose – to promote conversations about bias,” said Marc Pritchard, P&G’s chief brand officer, in a statement. “The outpouring of support for the ‘The Talk,’ as well as the critical responses we received, strengthened our resolve in the value of these conversations between people of all backgrounds and experiences, which we hope lead to greater understanding, common ground and positive change.”
‘Blackish’ creator and executive producer Kenya Barris added: “I personally feel that we’re in a time right now where not talking about things has made us more separate as a society than ever before. There are a lot of conversations that need to be had. We hope the more we all talk about it and think about it, things will change.”
According to ABC, there will be language along the lines of “Promotional consideration provided by Procter & Gamble" at the end of the episode to make viewers aware of the brand's involvement in the show.
This isn't the first time that 'Black-ish' has incorporated a brand into the show. In 2016, State Farm worked with ABC to incorporate the insurance company into one of the show's storylines.