Cultural Norms, Fair & Lovely & Advertising

International Marketing Case study

Rs. 1800 CR Womens fairness cream market in India

70% market share of HUL

CavinKares Fairever has a market share of 10 % Garnier is the 3rd largest market player at 7% Others 13%

Fairness Cream Market

Emami - Gold Turmeric, Boroplus, Naturally Fair

Revlon - Touch and Glow

Himalaya - Himalaya Fairness Cream L'Oreal Garnier Light Marico Kaya Aditya Birla Group Kara Skincare Wipes Shahnaz Hussain Shah bright skin formula

Others in the market

Worlds #1 fairness cream Launched in 1978 by HUL Maintained 90% market share till 1998 Current share 70% Sold in over 30+ countries Available in 5 variants in India

Fair & Lovely

A CavinKare brand Launched in 1998 Current market share about 15% Brand Ambassador Asin T TG Young & contemporary women USP Kashmir Saffron

Fairever

Advertisement campaign launched by HUL in 2001

Year long campaign lead by AIDWA(All India Democratic Womens Association)

Case filed against Fair and Lovely by AIDWA to the Human Rights Commission It was considered sexist It promoted son-preference It was offensive towards working women because it suggested that the women were employed only for their beauty, fairness and sexuality It looked down upon single women Advertisement taken off air in 2003 due to populist demand

Case Highlights

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting found the advertisements in violation of the Cable And Television Networks Acts of 1995 Provisions of the act state that, No advertisement shall be permitted which discriminates any race, caste, color,gender, creed and nationality It also stated that Women must not be portrayed in a manner that emphasized passive, submissive qualities and encourages them to play a subordinate role in the family and society.

Legal Issues

 Fair and Lovely

The ad focused on the girl not getting married, not finding a boyfriend and not
finding a job

Fairever
The ad focused on achievement

Fair and Lovelys response to Fairever

Ads that focused on achievement too

ads

The Big Fight on TV

Fair and Lovely Foundation launched to counter negative publicity It encouraged economic empowerment of women across India by providing resources in education and business.

Fair and Lovelys response to AIWDA

Career fairs in 20 cities offering counseling in 110 career options. It supported 100 rural scholarships for women students passing 10th These scholarships were for Professional course for aspiring beauticians A three month course for a home healthcare nursing course Courses aimed to empower women aged between 18-30

Activities undertaken by HUL

Integrity, fairness, excellence, innovation, openness & trust are values portrayed by both brands. Do they deliver on their promise .? The fairness creams do not deliver on their promise of visible fairness,

Do not provide complete information about the ingredients used in the creams, and their side effects
It Creates false impression in the mind of consumers based on their aspirations

Big Question -Values and promise?

Does not deliver on promise of fairness

Many of these 'cosmetics', harmless in appearance, contain products deriving from such substances as corticoids, mercury or hydroquinone, which if absorbed in big quantities can prove fatal. According to the eminent Jamaican dermatologist, Neil Persadsingh, author of 'Acne in Black Women' (1999), certain whitening products even contain steroids!
Most creams work towards eliminating melanin present in the skin, which not only gives the skin its colour but also protects it from ultra-violet rays which cause skin cancer

Ugly Truth !!

Despite sexy packaging and spicy slogans, bleaching products can lead to many health hazards, which are sometimes irreversible. A few potential consequences listed by several dermatologists are as follows Diabetes , Hypertension, Acne, hyper hairiness, skin cancer, Disturbance of the menstrual cycle, premature ageing of the skin & pimples

The creams are absorbed by the skin, and then it enters bloodstream, reaching the organs - thus creating hormonal disorders and other problems.

Ugly Truth !!

The ad plays on the same message , only this time the message is conveyed in a different manner.

Latest ad of Fair and Lovely

Is it ethical to sell a product that is, at best, only mildly effective? Discuss.

No. it is not unethical if the exact extent of the products effectiveness are communicated to the consumer.
In the case of most fairness creams the effects of the cream is shown to be much more that what it actually is. According to HUL itself, the creams are able to bring about skin color change of 13 shades The ads depict the central characters turn much fairer then their original dark complexions

Question 1

Is it ethical to exploit cultural norms and values to promote a product? Discuss. No It is only the perception or mindset of Indians that fair skin is a symbol of status, class, higher caste, ability and achievement In reality ability and achievement do not have any relation to a persons complexion. There has traditionally been a bias against girls in Indian society and a high preference for sons. For these reasons it is not ethical to exploit the cultural norms and values to promote a product.

Question 2

Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women or is it portraying a product not too dissimilar to cosmetics in general? It showed how the miracle worker makes the women whiter and more confident. From this aspect, the advertisement is similar to the other cosmetics in general. Other elements and stories used to convince the customers that if they use its products, they will be successful in their career and probably have a higher social status is unethical and negative. The main qualification for woman to get a job is the way she looks but not the capability within herself is demeaning to women regardless of the social influence. The derision of any race, caste, skin color, creed and nationality should be avoided in the advertisements.

Question 3

Will Fair and Lovelys foundation be enough to counter charges made by AIDWA? Discuss. It has not countered the charges until now. It has only responded indirectly to the allegations with its CSR initiatives

Question 4

In light of AIDWAs charges, how would you suggest Fair & Lovely promote its product? Discuss. Would your response be different if Fairever continues to use fairness as a theme of its promotion? Discuss.

Emphasize on confidence factor and not just beauty quotient due to skin complexion.

Encourage economic empowerment of women across India by providing resources in education and business.
Avoid Fair is sexy theme even if Fairever toes on that line

Company shouldnt persuade the customers to believe that fair skin is the trend of beauty which will make them attractive and have high social status.
Launch new CSR initiatives for women

Question 5

Strategy

To reposition the brand on Empowerment for Women theme

To re establish skin lightening proposition in soap format New advertisements that show the actual impact of the product on the skin. The advertisements should recommend consultation with a skin specialist Create a platform for showcasing talent in rural market and equality for women Free sample distribution in new territory

New Campaign

2003 - Fair & Lovely is designed to deliver 1 of the 3 shades of change in most people

Skin colour and Fairness used as medium to appeal Dark women shown in defamatory manner to sell product

2005 - Women's passion for beauty is universal and Fair & lovely is catering to this strong need

Fairness shown as an element of being beautiful Side effects and taboo also addressed in advertisements

Change of Guard

Ayurvedic product base

Product tries to cure Skin pigmentation

Launched in 2004 Target audience masses with low price tag and cream for all concept

Shahnaz Messiah cream

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