Beiersdorf-owned skincare company Nivea has dropped Rihanna as its brand ambassador after she was deemed ‘too sexy’ by the parent company’s new chief executive.
Stefan Heidrenreich, the recently-appointed chief executive of Nivea’s parent company, told German newspaper Welt that the brand has ditched the singer as she falls foul of the company’s family-friendly image.
“I do not understand how to bring the core brand of Nivea in conjunction with Rihanna,” says Heidrenreich. “Nivea is a company which stands for trust, family and reliability. Rihanna is a no go.”
Rihanna signed a deal with Nivea in 2011 for a multi-million dollar ad campaign. The star has since appeared in a series of ads for the brand, including one where she posed naked to celebrate Nivea’s 100-year anniversary. Nivea also sponsored her Loud music tour and used her song California King Bed in a series of ads.
Following the announcement, Rihanna took to Twitter to voice her opinions, writing ‘No caption necessary’ under a photo of Heidrenreich.
Beiersdorf has since released a statement denying that Rihanna has been fired, claiming that the contract was due to end in 2011.
“In 2011 Nivea worked with the artist Rihanna in the context of the brand’s 100thbirthday anniversary campaign,” read the statement. “From the beginning this music-cooperation was scheduled for one year and ended as planned at the end of 2011.”
“Within the future brand positioning Nivea focuses more than ever on its core values,” it continues. “This leads to a change in advertising strategy as well as marketing campaigns. Beiersdorf and Nivea thank Rihanna for her work in relation to the 100th birthday anniversary campaign.”
Jenni Baker, London
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