Good Week: Shell – The fossil-fuel giant dives headgasket-first into the electric vehicle game with its purchase this week of NewMotion, one of Europe’s largest vendors of electric vehicle charging stations. Another example of big oil reading the tea leaves.
Bad Week: Dove – The normally socially conscious Unilever-owned soap and beauty product brand apologized for an online ad that featured the headline “Ready for a Dove Shower?” on top of a looping GIF of an African-American woman removing her brown shirt to reveal a white woman in a beige shirt underneath. The ad was quickly pulled after widespread backlash.
Revolutionary Week: Boy Scouts of America – After more than 100 years, the venerable organization announced that it will accept girls as full Cub Scouts, allowing them to pursue Eagle Scout status. The move did not go over well with the Girl Scouts of America, who accused the Boy Scouts of trying to bolster their flagging membership numbers and immediately posted a “We’re Here to Stay” message (which didn’t mention the Boy Scouts by name) on their homepage.
