Nivea’s decision to remove the ad on Tuesday, which was posted on its Facebook page for two days, and stop the entire campaign is another sign of how sensitive companies have become to negative reactions on social media.

Image In 2014, Zara stopped selling a children’s shirt after criticism that it resembled Nazi concentration camp uniforms.

At a time when online conversations can snowball, companies have learned to respond quickly to opinions on social media. This has created an environment where Google has had to train its ad placement computers to be aware of offensive content because brands are wanting more distance between their marketing material and derogatory messaging or terrorist propaganda.

The advertisement, which was on Nivea’s Middle East Facebook page, was being discussed on 4Chan with racist comments on Monday. The ad was posted on Twitter next to a picture of Pepe the Frog, a cartoon tied to anti-Semitism and racism that has become a mascot for the alt-right. The user wrote that “Nivea has chosen our side.”

One Facebook user paired the ad with a screenshot from a 2011 Nivea campaign, featuring a well-dressed black male clutching the Afro of a mannequin’s head. The tagline, “Re-civilize yourself.” Nivea apologized for the campaign, calling it “inappropriate and offensive.”

Even after Nivea apologized on Tuesday, consumers were dissatisfied. “It’s cool for the ‘Middle East’ Facebook page? Really? As if colourism isn’t a problem in those cultures?” Laila Parmoon posted on Facebook, where she identified herself as Iranian.