After Receiving Flak, Scotch-Brite Promises To Change Sexist Logo

Scotch-Brite has promised to change the logo in a few months down the line.

Man calls out Scotch-Brite for sexist logo.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Recently, a man on LinkedIn called out the popular brand Scotch-Brite for its allegedly sexist advertising.

Communications expert Karthik Srinivasan took to LinkedIn to write about how hethought that Scotch-Brite's "logo has the vector image of a woman (with a bindi, to differentiate this from their earlier, other country logos that also had a woman's face)!"

He further added, "I wondered if all products from Scotch-Brite have this logo. While a lint roller does not carry this, other products like scrub pad/sponge, sink brush, broom, toilet brush carry it. The gender marker is clear when you see that the lint roller, which has a man’s coat in the product pack, doesn’t have it!"

Karthik also wrote that since Scotch-Brite was launched in India in 1990, it's possible that 3M made the logo keeping in mind "user-centric cues" and may have forgotten about it.

Take a look at it:

Karthik's post soon went viral and sparked a debate on the website with some saying that the logo was not sexist and others admitting that that they hadn't realised the implied sexism until now.

Atul Mathur, who is the Head of Marketing at 3M India, also commented on Karthik's post saying that the logo was a "legacy vector" and he realised that it was "time to move on from regressive beliefs."

Mathur also shared a link of a TV advertisement series for Scotch-Brite that challenges society's sexism and gender inequality. The series is titled "Ghar Sabka Toh Kaam Bhi Sabhi Ka?"

Mathur concluded with a promise that the logo for Scotch-Brite will be changed soon.

A 3M Spokesporson said, "3M India would like to apologise to anyone whose sentiments were hurt due to the controversy on comments by our Scotch Brite manager being taken out of context. We wish to clarify that Scotch Brite’s new logo that will be released in the next few months, will not display the image of a woman because we recognize that household chores are equally shared by all family members, and we understand the need to make the product packaging gender neutral. 3M is committed to having a portfolio of brands that celebrates diversity. We recognise that the current packaging of Scotch-Brite carries a legacy vector that do not reflect the sentiments and mindset of today’s consumers."