Mitchum’s recent deodorant mishap reveals how even global brands can stumble when they forget the human touch—and the local heartbeat.
By PHENYO MOTLHAGODI
Principal Consultant, Tennyson PR
In September, Mitchum apologised in South Africa, the UK and Ireland after reports that select batches of its 48-hour 100ml roll-on antiperspirant were causing skin irritation. The company attributed the problem to a change in a manufacturing process for a raw material, said it had reverted to the original process, and began working with retailers to pull affected stock.
That context matters in Botswana because the brand enjoys strong word-of-mouth here, commands a premium price and has real loyalty. Yet when a Botswana consumer recently posted photos of significant underarm irritation and shared a screenshot of Mitchum’s email reply, the exchange exposed a deeper issue than a faulty batch: a multinational operating across borders but responding without a local heartbeat.
THE EMPATHY GAP
The customer-service response we saw opens with corporate boilerplate and quickly offers two replacement roll-ons. There is no first sentence asking if the consumer is okay, no instruction to stop using the product, no advice to wash the area, and no suggestion to seek medical care if symptoms persist. In crisis communications, the sequence matters: care, then cause, then compensation. By jumping straight to product replacement, Mitchum appeared tone-deaf and transactional in a moment that required clinical caution and human compassion.
SAFETY BEFORE SALES
When a body-contact product is implicated in irritation, the duty of care is straightforward. The company should first advise immediate discontinuation, provide clear self-care instructions, capture batch details, and offer a refund before even thinking about compensation. Offering more deodorant to an injured consumer sends the wrong message. It suggests the company is centred on stock movement, not wellbeing.
CLARITY AND TRACEABILITY
Mitchum publicly explained that the formula hadn’t changed but a process tweak had altered how the product interacted with some people’s skin. The affected batches could be identified by batch codes, which was good technical transparency. But the brand’s published notices and FAQs were framed for South African, UK, and Irish audiences. The South African statement directed people to an SA toll-free number—none of which helped a shopper in Gaborone determine whether their bottle was safe or where to go for help.
In Botswana, the basics went missing: a local hotline or WhatsApp number, a published batch list, guidance for retailers on refunds, and a clear reporting pathway. Without these, the affected customer—like many do when they feel unseen—went to Facebook. That isn’t bad behaviour; it’s a predictable outcome of an unmet need for care and clarity.
LOCALISATION ISN’T A LUXURY
Multinationals often underestimate markets like Botswana because distribution-led growth seems to tick along with in-store promotions and price deals. Budgets are set for logistics and sales, not for communications or agency representation. The Mitchum episode shows the flaw in that model. When a crisis hits, the brand must act with local knowledge—using channels that work here, languages that resonate, and partners who can get a memo onto a retailer’s shelf this week, not after a regional call.
Consumers expected a Botswana statement, in English and Setswana, posted the day the story broke. They wanted a local WhatsApp line, a refund process at retailers, and small shelf cards explaining how to check batch codes. A refund first, then help for verified cases—such as a dermatologist reimbursement—would have been far more sensible than more roll-on. None of this is extravagant; it’s basic reputation hygiene.
THE THREE Cs MITCHUM MISSED
Care. Put the person first. A simple opening line checking on the consumer’s wellbeing and giving immediate safety guidance would have gone a long way.
Clarity. Make it easy to know whether a product is affected and what to do next, with batch lists and Botswana-specific instructions.
Control. Take charge of the conversation through proactive posts, media briefings and retailer updates. When brands don’t do that, Facebook will.
WHY LOCAL REPRESENTATION MATTERS
Botswana’s consumers are sophisticated, digitally connected and brand-loyal—but they demand respect. A brand with cross-border appeal cannot treat Botswana as a bolt-on to South Africa. Direct representation, whether through an in-house communicator or a local agency, delivers four advantages: It brings early intelligence, because local teams hear rumblings first—from pharmacists, students, and social media. It speeds action, because phone calls to retailers and updates to stores happen within days, not weeks. It ensures cultural fit, because tone is calibrated for Botswana norms and Setswana messaging is deployed where it matters. And it builds a “trust bank,” a visible local presence that absorbs shock when things go wrong.
WHAT GOOD WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE
On day one, Mitchum could have issued a short apology and safety notice with a Botswana hotline, WhatsApp, and refund confirmation at stores. It could have reached out to public complainants with empathy, not coupons. Within a week, it might have partnered with dermatology practices for “skin comfort” clinics, reimbursing consults for verified cases. By week four, a local dermatologist could explain irritation and batch codes in a short video. That’s how to turn anxiety into trust.
THE REGULATORY GAP
South Africa’s National Consumer Commission confirmed the manufacturing issue and recalled selected batches. UK and Irish regulators did the same, showing how quickly information moved there and how slowly it reached Botswana in a usable form. Mitchum’s products have long enjoyed a strong reputation for effectiveness here. That brand equity is worth protecting—and that starts by treating Botswana consumers as equals. This wasn’t a failure because a few batches went wrong; that happens even in good companies. It was a failure because, when Mitchum most needed a local heartbeat, Botswana heard only a distant echo.
About Tennyson PR: Influence & Reputation Management — a Botswana-based boutique Pan-African consultancy specialising in PR, executive positioning and crisis communications.