Case study – Fair & Lovely

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

Answer : Yes because that way can attract many customers to buy the product because there is a
change in the advertisement. This can be used as proof that the product has a good effect.

2. Is it ethical to exploit cultural norms and values to promote a product? Discuss.

Answer : No. It is because mock anyone who is not the right color and shoot down their self-image.
Furthermore, the ad has offended other customers. Furthermore, the ad has offended other
customers. It is considered degrading to women. Every advertisement must not include three things:
(1) the advertisement is racist, (2) they promote the preference of boys, and (3) they insult work
female.

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?

Answer : Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women

4. Will HUL’s Fair & Lovely Foundation be enough to counter charges made by AIDWA? Discuss.

Answer : Yes, HUL’s Fair & Lovely Foundation be enough to counter charges made by AIDWA.
Through advertising Hindustan Lever Ltd. States that the product is formulated to lighten the skin by
just one to three shades depending on the individual. However, in marketing there is a hidden
message in everything - always something the advertisers and marketing agents don’t want
you to know. If you read between the lines and try and make sense of things, you will find that this
cream cannot penetrate deeper than the first few layers of the skin. Their marketing is ethical
because they do not falsely advertise.

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.

Answer : I would suggest that Fair and Lovely reconsider the cultural impact of their advertisements.
Based on the article, AIDWA objected to three things which are the ads were racist, they were
promoting son preference and they were insulting to working women.

6. Propose a promotion/marketing program that will counter all the arguments and charges against
Fair & Lovely and be an effective program.

Answer : I would suggest, a TV program where the average women would tell about their
experiences with the product. Moreover, I would develop a campaign exploring the different types
of women, demystifying the beauty stereotype reigned in India.
7. Now that a male market for fairness cream exists, is the strength of AIDWA’s argument
weakened?

Answer : In this case, it is ethical to sell a relatively effective product, because even if it is only
“slightly” effective, consumers still respond positively to the product and also launch a job
opportunities. Although my initial reaction to this case study was to say that exploiting cultural
norms and values to promote a product was unethical, I changed my mind when I compared it to
similar products in the American market. The truth is that every country has norms about what is
considered “superior/standard” and in India (just like other countries), fair skinned happens to be
considered beautiful. What I’m going against is Fair & Lovely’s advertising strategy. The Fair & Lovely
ad is not necessarily demeaning, but instead favors the light-skinned type of woman and in turn
causes image-conscious discomfort for dark-skinned women. Again, I want to point out the fact that
this ad is no different than the StriVectin cream product which is “best, only marginally effective” in
women in preventing stretch marks caused by pregnancy because stretch marks are considered
unattractive. How is the different from Fair & Lovely, or other beauty campaigns such as anti aging
products in our country where youth is considered beautiful? As a result of the complaint filed
against Fair & Lovely by AIDWA, is Fair & Lovely HLL Foundation was launched and made a positive
impact on the Indian economy. It created Shakti Ammas to bring products to the masses, and give
young women with no skills at the entry level an opportunity to work and empower themselves i
addition to scholarships funded by the Fair & Lovely Foundation.

8. Comment on using “Shakti Ammas” to introduce “fairness cream for the masses” in light of
AIDWA’s charges

Answer: HUL’s strategy of using “Shakti Ammas” is a clever one because:

1. It invalidates the core issues raised by the AIDWA.

2. They are promoting women empowerment through the Project Shakti campaign.

3. They are solving the weak distribution problems that was prevalent in the rural parts of India.

So, essentially, using “Shakti Ammas” to introduce fairness cream for the masses is an ingenious idea

9. Listen to “In India, Skin-Whitening Creams Reflect Old Biases,” NPR, November 12, 2009.

Answer : Indian men have recently become increasingly popular in the world, leading to a trend of
becoming consumers. This trend is seen in the cosmetics industry, where young Indian men are
using skin lightening creams to attract attention. Indian women are also wanting their children to be
fair skinned, which is a staple across the country. Some Indian women even consume saffron and
powdered gold during pregnancy to make their babies lighter.

10. In 2014, the Advertising Standards Council of India, a self regulated advertiser group, issued a
new set of guidelines that will ban all ads that depict those with darker skin as being inferior in any
way. See https://digiday.com/marketing/four-ads-wont-see-indian-television-ever/. How do you
think this will affect Fair & Lovely as a brand? How should HUL deal with the news?
Answer : I think that the sales can carry on as normal. This is due to the obsession with fair skin,
however HUL should adjust the advertisements to be done properly, which means they should not
be racist, not advertise son preference, and ought to respect working women. HUL should then
respond to the news by revising the message they conveyed in the advertisements. HUL needs to
make sure that their advertisements help women feel more confident rather than degrading dark
skin.