The soap maker Dove got itself into some hot water over the weekend. A short video it posted to its U.S. Facebook page on Friday was supposed to glorify the ethnic diversity of women. Many horrified viewers said it did the exact opposite.

In the video, a black woman pulls a brown shirt off over her head, revealing a white, fair-haired woman in a white shirt underneath. The GIF image was disturbingly reminiscent of select soap advertising from a century ago, depicting black children washing the melanin from their skin to miraculously turn white.

Such images were repugnant back then. They’re even more repellent today amid a supposedly enlightened populace that should not tolerate even subtly racist commercial messages.

Unilever, the Dutch-British conglomerate that owns the Dove brand, was quick and complete to admit a false step:

“The short video was intended to convey that Dove body wash is for every woman and be a celebration of diversity, but we got it wrong,” the company posted the next day. “It did not represent the diversity of real beauty which is something Dove is passionate about and is core to our beliefs, and it should not have happened.”

Unilever went on to apologize: “This should not have happened and we are re-evaluating our internal processes for creating and approving content to prevent us making this type of mistake in the future. We apologize deeply and sincerely for the offense that it has caused and do not condone any activity or imagery that insults any audience.”

But the damage is done. By the time Unilever took down the offensive clip, copies had been shared and re-posted across social media platforms. The company is left holding a bothersome rhetorical question: How did such a glaring error of judgment get past every single decision-maker who had a hand in its approval, let alone its production?

This question leads to an even wider and more serious question: Does the company condone or even promote a racist outlook?

The notion might sound a little preposterous, but this wasn’t Dove’s first mea culpa for ethnic insensitivity. In 2011, the brand apologized for an ad showing a black woman as the “before” photo and a white woman as the “after” photo, with “more beautiful skin.” According to Dove, all the women depicted were intended to represent the benefits of using its products.

Advertising executives are masters of subtle illusion. They are, or should be, proficient in stirring emotional responses to appeals for otherwise mundane products and services — fuzzy blue cartoon bears hawking toilet tissue, for example. Or black models turning white.

Their presentations are meticulously intentional — the bigger the company, the more meticulous the commercials. And Dove’s parent, Unilever, is one big company — 13 product brands with combined $1.2 billion in sales annually. Companies that size don’t make rookie mistakes. The Dove Facebook video hints at something else.

The apology was a good first step. A thorough investigation into what happened and public disclosure of findings is the logical next step.