The Scoop: Pantone’s choice of white as color of the year draws confusion, controversy

Pantone’s Color the Year Program has been a reliable PR stalwart for years, and one we’ve praised in the past. It’s a clever way to get the brand in the news once every December with the selection of a hue that says something about the year ahead.

This year’s selection is called “Cloud Dancer” and is described “a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection.” Pantone loftily continues: “Cloud Dancer encourages true relaxation and focus, allowing the mind to wander and creativity to breathe, making room for innovation.”

It’s white. It’s a very standard shade of white, akin to a piece of paper or the background you’re reading this on right now.

The selection is raising eyebrows both for the choice itself (white is famously not a color) but also for what it represents to some.

“Did Sydney Sweeney have a say in this?” one comment on Pantone’s Instagram announcement read, referencing this year’s controversy around an American Eagle ad campaign some said evoked eugenics.

“It’s certainly a conspicuous choice following a year in which D.E.I. programs have been dismantled and the party in power has been debating how friendly to be with a white nationalist,” wrote  New York Times style reporter Callie Holtermann. “That may not be what Pantone means by ‘peace, unity and cohesiveness,’ but I have to imagine it will come up for some viewers.”

Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute, defended the choice.

“Skin tones did not factor into this at all,” Pressman said, connecting Cloud Dancer to the 2024 and 2025’s Color of the Year selections. “With Peach Fuzz and Mocha Mousse, people were asking if this was about skin tones. And I think we were going, ‘Wow, really?’ Because, for us, it’s really about, at such a basic level, what are people looking for that colour can hope to answer?”

Why it matters: Look. It’s 2025, soon to be 2026. Everything is controversial, even a color that’s meant to be a neutral. On the one hand, they absolutely got people talking about the role color plays in our lives, our perception of it and what we hope for in the year ahead. So from that metric of pure PR, it’s a success.

On the other hand, any time you’re tied to white nationalism, you’re probably having a bad day.

Given past years’ questions, the Pantone Colour Institute probably should have been more ready with a response than, “wow, really?” While the Institute may consider color primarily in how it appears on walls, textiles and products, it’s more than that for the rest of the world. It impacts how we see ourselves and each other.

In some ways, Pantone is a victim of its own success. Because it has been so successful in branding itself as the Color of the Year, people take that seriously. They think about that title in all its permutations and feel ownership to chime in.

It all comes back to the fundamental question: is all publicity good publicity?

Editor’s Top Reads:

• Years after it largely abandoned its investment in newsrooms, Meta is once again striking deals with major publishers, including USA Today, FoxNews and CNN. This time, however, it isn’t about content showing up in newsfeeds, but rather to feed AI, Axios reported. When people interact with Meta’s AI bot across its suite of social networks, they’ll receive answers that incorporate information from these sources, Axios reports. It’s also worth noting that Meta has struck deals with right-leaning outlets, including FoxNews, The Daily Caller and The Washington Examiner, likely to thwart accusations of anti-conservative bias. These agreements could prove a boon to news outlets – and offer brands yet another incentive for doubling down on earned media to feed AI’s voracious appetite.
• In the latest death knell for DEI initiatives in corporate America, Microsoft has quietly stopped its end-of-year practice of releasing a diversity and inclusion report. “We are not doing a traditional report this year as we’ve evolved beyond that to formats that are more dynamic and accessible,” Microsoft Chief Communications Officer Frank Shaw told The Verge. Sources say that Microsoft also eliminated a question on performance reviews that asked workers what impact their work had on diversity and inclusion. This comes as a departure for Microsoft – early in 2025, the company was seen as doubling down on DEI initiatives, even as others retreated. But the continued pressure from the Trump administration may have taken its toll. Microsoft will need to find ways to balance public affairs pressures with potential pushback from both internal and external critics.
• Svedka vodka will place its first Super Bowl ad this year – and it will be AI-generated, created by the same company that made Coca-Cola’s holiday spot. The big question at this juncture is: why. Sara Saunders, chief marketing officer at Sazerac, which owns Svedka, said using AI “actually has required more work” than producing an ad traditionally. Customers have also shown some hostility to AI ads. What is a brand really saying when they create an advertisement with AI? Now, it’s still novel enough to get Svedka written up in the Wall Street Journal. But that won’t last. It’s time to consider what is being communicated when advertisements are created with AI – and if that’s what you’re really going for.

Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.