A sneaker ad should make people look at the shoes. Instead, a recent Converse campaign left many people looking at the imagery around them—and asking how it was approved.

The image, part of a campaign for the Chuck 70 X sneaker with Karina of the K-pop group aespa, showed a person in white holding black sneakers. Critics said the clothing, lighting and position of the shoes evoked Ku Klux Klan imagery and lynching. Those were viewers’ interpretations of the image, not an established statement of Converse’s intent. 

Converse removed the ad and apologized, saying it understood why the image was deeply upsetting and that it “got this wrong.” 

Intent matters, but so does impact. A brand with Converse’s reach has opportunities to review an image before millions of people see it. That is why the response cannot end with taking down a post. The harder question is how the campaign passed review—and what Converse will change so its next apology is unnecessary.

People will disagree about what they see in the photograph. They should still be able to agree that concerns tied to a history of racial terror deserve to be taken seriously. Converse has acknowledged the harm. Now its actions will show what that acknowledgment means.