Bollywood actor likened to an Indian Tom Cruise, decided to en-dorse Fair & Handsome. Euromonitor International forecasts that in the next five years, spending on men’s grooming products will rise 24 percent to 14.5 billion rupees, or US$320 million. A recent product review in www.mouthshut.com, praises Fair & Lovely fairness cream: “[Fair & Lovely] contains fairness vitamins which penetrate deep down our skin to give us radiant fairness.” “I don’t know if it can change the skin color from dark to fair, but my personal experience is that it works very well if you have a naturally fair color and want to preserve it without much headache.” “I think Riya Sen has the best skin right now in Bollywood. It appears to be really soft and tender. So, to have soft and fair skin like her I recommend Fair & Lovely Fairness Lotion or Cream.” Yet “skin color isn’t proof of greatness. Those with wheatish or dark skin are by no way inferior to those who have fair skin.” Here are a few facts from Hindustan Lever Ltd.’s homepage: Lever Limited is India’s largest Packaged Mass Consumption Goods Company. We are leaders in Home and Personal Care Products and Food and Beverages including such products as Ponds and Pepsodent. We seek to meet the everyday needs of people everywhere—to anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and ser-vices which raise the quality of life. It is this purpose that inspires us to build brands. Over the past 70 years, we have introduced about 110 brands. Fair & Lovely has been specially designed and proven to deliver one to three shades of change in most people. Also its sunscreen system is specially optimized for Indian skin. Indian skin, unlike Caucasian skin, tends to “tan” rather than “burn” and, hence, requires a different combination of UVA and UVB sunscreens. You may want to visit HLL’s homepage (www.hhl.com) for additional information about the company. QUESTIONS 1. Is it ethical to sell a product that is, at best, only mildly effective? Discuss. 2. Is it ethical to exploit cultural norms and values to promote a product? Discuss. 3. Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women, or is it promoting the fairness cream in a way not too dissimilar from how most cosmetics are promoted? 4. Will HLL’s Fair & Lovely Foundation be enough to counter charges made by AIDWA? Discuss. 5. In light of AIDWA’s charges, how would you suggest Fair & Lovely promote its product? Discuss. Would your response be different if Fairever continued to use “fairness” as a theme of its promotion? Discuss. 6. Propose a promotion/marketing program that will counter all the arguments and charges against Fair & Lovely and bean effective program. 7. Now that a male market for fairness cream exists, is the strength of AIDWA’s argument weakened? 8. Comment on using “Shakti Ammas” to introduce “fairness cream for the masses” in light of AIDWA’s charges.
Bollywood actor likened to an Indian Tom Cruise, decided to en-dorse Fair & Handsome. Euromonitor International forecasts that in the next five years, spending on men’s grooming products will rise 24 percent to 14.5 billion rupees, or US$320 million. A recent product review in www.mouthshut.com, praises Fair & Lovely fairness cream: “[Fair & Lovely] contains fairness vitamins which penetrate deep down our skin to give us radiant fairness.” “I don’t know if it can change the skin color from dark to fair, but my personal experience is that it works very well if you have a naturally fair color and want to preserve it without much headache.” “I think Riya Sen has the best skin right now in Bollywood. It appears to be really soft and tender. So, to have soft and fair skin like her I recommend Fair & Lovely Fairness Lotion or Cream.” Yet “skin color isn’t proof of greatness. Those with wheatish or dark skin are by no way inferior to those who have fair skin.” Here are a few facts from Hindustan Lever Ltd.’s homepage: Lever Limited is India’s largest Packaged Mass Consumption Goods Company. We are leaders in Home and Personal Care Products and Food and Beverages including such products as Ponds and Pepsodent. We seek to meet the everyday needs of people everywhere—to anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and ser-vices which raise the quality of life. It is this purpose that inspires us to build brands. Over the past 70 years, we have introduced about 110 brands. Fair & Lovely has been specially designed and proven to deliver one to three shades of change in most people. Also its sunscreen system is specially optimized for Indian skin. Indian skin, unlike Caucasian skin, tends to “tan” rather than “burn” and, hence, requires a different combination of UVA and UVB sunscreens. You may want to visit HLL’s homepage (www.hhl.com) for additional information about the company. QUESTIONS 1. Is it ethical to sell a product that is, at best, only mildly effective? Discuss. 2. Is it ethical to exploit cultural norms and values to promote a product? Discuss. 3. Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women, or is it promoting the fairness cream in a way not too dissimilar from how most cosmetics are promoted? 4. Will HLL’s Fair & Lovely Foundation be enough to counter charges made by AIDWA? Discuss. 5. In light of AIDWA’s charges, how would you suggest Fair & Lovely promote its product? Discuss. Would your response be different if Fairever continued to use “fairness” as a theme of its promotion? Discuss. 6. Propose a promotion/marketing program that will counter all the arguments and charges against Fair & Lovely and bean effective program. 7. Now that a male market for fairness cream exists, is the strength of AIDWA’s argument weakened? 8. Comment on using “Shakti Ammas” to introduce “fairness cream for the masses” in light of AIDWA’s charges.
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Bollywood actor likened to an Indian Tom Cruise, decided to en-dorse Fair & Handsome. Euromonitor International
in the next five years, spending on men’s grooming products will
rise 24 percent to 14.5 billion rupees, or US$320 million.
A recent product review in www.mouthshut.com, praises Fair &
Lovely fairness cream: “[Fair & Lovely] contains fairness vitamins
which penetrate deep down our skin to give us radiant fairness.” “I
don’t know if it can change the skin color from dark to fair, but my
personal experience is that it works very well if you have a naturally fair color and want to preserve it without much headache.” “I
think Riya Sen has the best skin right now in Bollywood. It appears to be really soft and tender. So, to have soft and fair skin like her
I recommend Fair & Lovely Fairness Lotion or Cream.” Yet “skin color isn’t proof of greatness. Those with wheatish or dark skin
are by no way inferior to those who have fair skin.”
Here are a few facts from Hindustan Lever Ltd.’s homepage:
Lever Limited is India’s largest Packaged Mass Consumption Goods Company. We are leaders in Home and Personal Care Products and Food and Beverages including such products as Ponds and Pepsodent. We seek to meet the everyday needs of people everywhere—to anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and ser-vices which raise the quality of life. It is this purpose that inspires us to build brands. Over the past 70 years, we have introduced about 110 brands.
Fair & Lovely has been specially designed and proven to deliver one to three shades of change in most people. Also
its sunscreen system is specially optimized for Indian skin.
Indian skin, unlike Caucasian skin, tends to “tan” rather
than “burn” and, hence, requires a different combination of
UVA and UVB sunscreens.
You may want to visit HLL’s homepage (www.hhl.com) for additional information about the company.
QUESTIONS
1. Is it ethical to sell a product that is, at best, only mildly effective? Discuss.
2. Is it ethical to exploit cultural norms and values to promote a
product? Discuss.
3. Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women, or
is it promoting the fairness cream in a way not too dissimilar
from how most cosmetics are promoted?
4. Will HLL’s Fair & Lovely Foundation be enough to counter charges made by AIDWA? Discuss.
5. In light of AIDWA’s charges, how would you suggest Fair &
Lovely promote its product? Discuss. Would your response be different if Fairever continued to use “fairness” as a theme of its promotion? Discuss.
6. Propose a promotion/marketing program that will counter all
the arguments and charges against Fair & Lovely and bean
effective program.
7. Now that a male market for fairness cream exists, is the
strength of AIDWA’s argument weakened?
8. Comment on using “Shakti Ammas” to introduce “fairness
cream for the masses” in light of AIDWA’s charges.
Transcribed Image Text:2 case_2_2_Cultural_Norms_Fair_and_Lovely_and_Advertising.pdf - Foxit Reader
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Commenting on the cultural bias toward fair skin, one critic
states, "There are attractive people who go through life feeling
inferior to their fairer sisters. And all because of charming grand-
mothers and aunts who do not hesitate to make unflattering com-
parisons. Kalee Kalooti is an oft-heard comment about women
who happen to have darker skin. They get humiliated and mortified
over the color
trol. Are societal values responsible? Or advertising campaigns?
three-month Home Healthcare Nursing Assistant course cater-
ing to young women between the ages of 18 and 30 years. Ac-
cording to HLL, the Fair & Lovely Academy for Home Care
Nursing Assistants offers a unique training opportunity for
young women who possess no entry-level skills and therefore
are not employable in the new economy job market. The Fair &
Lovely Foundation plans to serve as a catalyst for the economic
empowerment for women across India. The Fair & Lovely Foun-
dation will showcase the achievements of these women not only
to honor them but also to set an example for other women to
follow.
AIDWAS campaign against ads that convey the message, "if
she is not fair in color, she won't get married or won't get pro-
moted," also has resulted in some adjustment to fairness cream
ads. In revised versions of the fairness cream ads, the "get fair to
attract a groom" theme is being reworked with "enhance your self-
confidence" so that a potential groom himself begs for attention. It
is an attempt at typifying the modern Indian woman, who has more
than just marriage on her mind. Advertising focus is now
message that lighter skin enables women to obtain jobs conven-
tionally held by men. She is career-oriented, has high aspirations,
and, at the same time, wants to look good. AIDWA concedes that
the current crop of television ads for fairness creams are "not as
demeaning" as ones in the past. However, it remains against the
product; as the president of AIDWA stated, "It is downright racist
their skin, a fact over which they have no con-
Advertising moguls claim they only reflect prevailing attitudes in
India. This is possibly true but what about ethics in advertising? Is
it correct to make advertisements that openly denigrate a majority
of Indian people-the dark-skinned populace? The advertising is
blatant in their strategy. Mock anyone who is not the right color
and shoot down their self-image."
A dermatologist comments, "Fairness obtained with the help of
creams is short-lived. The main reason being, most of these creams
contain a certain amount of bleaching agent, which whitens facial
hair, and not the skin, which leads people to believe that the cream
worked." Furthermore, "In India the popularity of a product de-
pends totally on the success of its advertising."
HLL launched its television ad campaign to promote Fair &
Lovely but withdrew it after four months amid severe criticism for
its portrayal of women. Activists argued that one of the messages
the company sends through its "air hostess" ads demonstrating the
preference for a son who would be able to take on the financial
responsibility for his parents is especially harmful in a country
such as India where gender discrimination is rampant. Another
offense is perpetuating a culture of discrimination in a society
where "fair" is synonymous with "beautiful." AIDWA (All India
Women's Democratic Association) lodged a complaint at the time
with HLL about their offensive ads, but Hindustan Lever failed to
respond.
The women's association then appealed to the National Human
Rights Commission alleging that the ad demeaned women.
AIDWA objected to three things: (1) the ads were racist, (2) they
were promoting son preference, and (3) they were insulting to
working women. "The way they portrayed the young woman
who, after using Fair & Lovely, became attractive and therefore
lands a job suggested that the main qualification for a woman to
get a job is the way she looks." The Human Rights Commission
passed AIDWA's complaints on to the Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting, which said the campaign violated the Cable
and Television Network Act of 1995-provisions in the act state
that no advertisement shall be permitted which "derides any race,
caste, color, creed and nationality" and that "Women must not
be portrayed in a manner that emphasized passive, submissive
qualities and encourages them to play
the
to denigrate dark skin."
Although AIWDAS campaign against fairness creams seems to
have had a modest impact on changing the advertising message, it has
not slowed the demand for fairness creams. Sales of Fair & Lovely,
for example, have been growing 15 to 20 percent year over year, and
the $318 million market for skin care has grown by 42.7 percent in
the last three years. Says Euromonitor International, a research firm:
"Half of the skin care market in India is fairness creams and 60 to 65
percent of Indian women use these products daily."
Recently, several Indian companies were extending their
marketing of fairness creams beyond urban and rural markets.
CavinKare's launch of Fairever, a fairness cream in a small sachet
pack priced at Rs 5, aimed at rural markets where some 320 mil-
lion Indians reside. Most marketers have found rural markets
impossible to penetrate profitably due to low income levels and
inadequate distribution systems, among other problems. However,
HLL is approaching the market through Project Shakti, a rural ini-
tiative that targets small villages with populations of 2,000 people
or less. It empowers underprivileged rural women by providing
income-generating opportunities to sell small, lower priced pack-
ets of its brands in villages. Special packaging for the rural market
subordinate secondary
was designed to provide single-use sachet packets at 50 paise for
a sachet of shampoo to Rs 5 for a fairness cream (for a
usage). The aim is to have 100,000 "Shakti Ammas," as they
are called, spread across 500,000 villages in India by year end.
CavinKare is growing at 25 percent in rural areas compared with
15 percent in urban centers.
In addition to expanding market effort into rural markets, an
the family and society."
government
tices
eek"
of the complaints to HLL. After a year-long campaign led by the
AIDWA, Hindustan Lever Limited discontinued two of its televi-
sion advertisements for Fair & Lovely fairness cold cream.
Shortly after pulling its ads off the air, HLL launched its Fair &
Lovely Foundation, vowing to "encourage economic empower-
ment of women across India" by providing resources in education
and business to millions of women "who, though immensely tal-
unexpected market arose when a research study revealed Indian
men were applying girlie fairness potions in droves-but on the
sly. It was estimated that 40 percent of boyfriends/husbands of
girlfriends/wives were applying white magic solutions that came
in little tubes. Indian companies spotted a business opportunity,
ented and capable, need a guiding hand to help them take the leap
forward," presumably into a fairer future.
HLL sponsored career fairs in over 20 cities across the coun-
try offering counseling in as many as 110 careers. It supported
100 rural scholarships for women students passing their 10th
grade, a professional course for aspiring beauticians, and a
and Fair & Handsome, Menz Active, Fair One Man, and a male
bleach called Saka were introduced to the male market. The sector
expanded dramatically when Shah Rukh Khan, a highly acclaimed
9 EN
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CASE 2-2 Cultural Norms, Fair & Lovely, and
Advertising
Fair & Lovely, a branded product of Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL),
is touted as a cosmetic that lightens skin color. On its Web site
(www.hll.com), the company calls its product "the miracle
worker," "proven to deliver one to three shades of change." While
tanning is the rage in Western countries, skin lightening treatments
are popular in Asia.
According to industry sources, the top-selling skin lighten-
ing cream in India is Fair & Lovely from Hindustan Lever Ltd.
(HLL), followed by CavinKare's Fairever brand. HLL$ Fair &
Lovely brand dominated the market with a 90 percent share until
CavinKare Ltd. (CKL) launched Fairever. In just two years, the
Fairever brand gained an impressive 15 percent market share.
HLLS share of market for the Fair & Lovely line generates about
in newspapers or on the Web that are used by families to arrange
suitable alliances, and you will see that most potential grooms and
their families are looking for "fair" brides; some even are pro-
gressive enough to invite responses from women belonging to a
different caste. These ads, hundreds of which appear in India's
daily newspapers, reflect attempts to solicit individuals with the
appropriate religion, caste, regional ancestry, professional and
educational qualifications, and, frequently, skin color. Even in the
growing numbers of ads that announce "caste no bar," the adjective
"fair" regularly precedes professional qualifications. In everyday
S60 million annually. The product sells for about 23 rupees (S0.29)
for a 25-gram tube of cream.
The rapid growth of CavinKare's Fairever (www.cavinkare
.com) brand prompted HLL to increase its advertising effort and to
launch a series of ads depicting a “fairer girl gets the boy theme."
One advertisement featured a financially strapped father lamenting
his fate, saying, “If only I had a son," while his dark-skinned daugh-
ter looks on, helpless and demoralized because she can't bear the fi-
conversation, the ultimate compliment on someone's looks is to
say someone is gora (fair). "I have no problem with people want-
ing to be lighter," said a Delhi beauty parlor owner, Saroj Nath. "It
doesn't make you racist, any more than trying to make yourself
look younger makes you ageist."
Bollywood (India's Hollywood) glorifies conventions on beauty
by always casting a fair-skinned actress in the role of heroine, sur-
rounded by the darkest extras. Women want to use whiteners be-
cause it is "aspirational, like losing weight."
Even the gods supposedly lament their dark complexion-
Krishna sings plaintively, "Radha kyoon gori, main kyoon kala?
(Why is Radha so fair when I'm dark?)." A skin deficient in
melanin (the pigment that determines the skin's brown color)
is an ancient predilection. More than 3,500 years ago, Charaka,
the famous sage, wrote about herbs that could help make the
skin fair.
nancial responsibility of her family. Fast-forward and plain Jane has
been transformed into a gorgeous light-skinned woman through the
use of a "fairness cream," Fair & Lovely. Now clad in a miniskirt,
the woman is a successful flight attendant and can take her father to
dine at a five-star hotel. She's happy and so is her father.
In another ad, two attractive young women are sitting in a bed-
room; one has a boyfriend and, consequently, is happy. The darker-
skinned woman, lacking a boyfriend, is not happy. Her friend's
advice-Use a bar of soap to wash away the dark skin that's keep-
ing men from flocking to her.
HLL's series of ads provoked CavinKare Ltd. to counter with an
ad that takes a dig at HLL's Fair & Lovely ad. CavinKare's ad has
a father-daughter duo as the protagonists, with the father shown
encouraging the daughter to be an achiever irrespective of her
complexion. CavinKare maintained that the objective of its new
commercial is not to take a dig at Fair & Lovely but to "reinforce
Fairever's positioning."
Skin color is a powerful theme in India, and much of Asia,
where a lighter color represents a higher status. While Americans
and Europeans flock to tanning salons, many across Asia seek
ways to have "fair" complexions. Culturally, fair skin is associated
with positive values that relate to class and beauty. One Indian lady
commented that when she was growing up, her mother forbade
her to go outdoors. She was not trying to keep her daughter out of
trouble but was trying to keep her skin from getting dark.
Brahmins, the priestly caste at the top of the social hierarchy,
are considered fair because they traditionally stayed inside, por-
ing over books. The undercaste at the bottom of the ladder are
Indian dermatologists maintain that fairness products cannot
truly work as they reach only the upper layers of the skin and so
do not affect melanin production. Nevertheless, for some, Fair &
Lovely is a “miracle worker." A user gushes that "The last time
I went to my parents' home, I got compliments on my fair skin
from everyone." For others, there is only disappointment. One
26-year-old working woman has been a regular user for the past
eight years but to no avail. "I should have turned into Snow
White by now but my skin is still the same wheatish color." As
an owner of a public relations firm commented, “My maid has
been using Fair and Lovely for years and I still can't see her in
the dark ... But she goes on using it. Hope springs eternal, I
suppose."
The number of Indians who think lighter skin is more beautiful
may be shrinking. Sumit Isralni, a 22-year-old hair designer in his
father's salon, thinks things have changed in the last two years,
at least in India's most cosmopolitan cities, Delhi, Mumbai, and
Bangalore. Women now "prefer their own complexion, their natu-
ral way" Isralni says; he prefers a more "Indian beauty" himself: "I
won't judge my wife on how fair her complexion is." Sunita Gupta,
a beautician in the same salon, is more critical. “It's just foolish-
ness!" she exclaimed. The premise of the ads that women could
not become airline attendants if they are dark-skinned was wrong,
she said. “Nowadays people like black beauty." It is a truism that
women, especially in the tropics, desire to be a shade fairer, no
matter what their skin color. Yet, unlike the approach used in India,
advertisements elsewhere usually show how to use the product and
regarded as the darkest people because they customarily worked
in the searing sun. Ancient Hindu scriptures and modern poetry
eulogize women endowed with skin made of white marble.
Skin color is closely identified with caste and is laden with
symbolism. Pursue any of the "grooms" and "brides wanted" ads
how it works.
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