Black woman-owned feminine hygiene company Honey Pot was given thousands of one-star reviews and received lots of negative and outright racist comments online after it was featured in a Target commercial in early February (see video above).
Many of the negative commenters complained that the commercial was racist. Apparently, some White viewers were offended by Honey Pot’s owner and founder Bea Dixon saying in the ad that she wanted Honey Pot to do well “so that the next Black girl that comes up with a great idea can have a better opportunity.”
A number of people Monday posted on the consumer review website Trustpilot accusing Dixon and Target of discriminating against White people in the commercial.
However, the product is marketed to ALL women. The company’s tag line reads, “Made by humans with vaginas, for humans with vaginas.” The commercial appears as part of Target’s Black History Month ad series “Founders We Believe In.”
But the controversy has also brought an unintended silver lining. According to Dixon, many of her regular customers began purchasing the product and went on social media to talk about the controversy, and as a result, sales have increased by as much as 50%. Her products have completely sold out in some Target stores.
Dixon said the negative attention “turned out to be a really beautiful thing.”
More information on Hot Pot products can be found at thehoneypot.co and www.target.com.
Reach the staff at the MSR at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.