CASE 2 – 2 Culture Norms, Fair & Lovely, and Advertising

Presented by:Henry Zhaoguo Yu, Kelli Klein, Xiaoying Yang, Pune Duangtip Kraisirdej, Yutong Wang

•In the 1890s, William Hesketh Lever, founder of Lever Bros.•Each day consumers make 160 million purchases of Unilever products.•One of the world's largest consumer products companies.

TV Commercials of Whitening ProductsMainland China: Garnier

TV Commercials of Whitening Products Olay

TV Commercials of Whitening ProductsPonds

The case in India

TV Commercials of Whitening Products India: Fair & Lovely

TV Commercials of Whitening ProductsIndia: Fair & Lovely

TV Commercials of Whitening Products India: Fairever

TV Commercials of Whitening Products India: Fair & Handsome

Why are Indians obsessed with fairness?

Historical & social Background of India

Introduction:

• Fair & Lovely is a branded product of cosmetic that lightens skin color

• A major controversy of the marketing program toward India

• Culturally, fair skin is associated positively to class and beauty

• Arguments of an ineffective product• Ethics have been questioned

Ethical?

Definition of Business Ethical Ethic Problems in Fair & lovely

Exploiting Cultural Norms?

It is ethical to exploit cultural norms. Examples.

Demeaning to women?

The advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women.

Compare Fair & Lovely and FANCL. Commercial with cheating.

• 7) Nowadays, there are not only the fair creams for women in India but for men as well.

• 8)Shakti Amma is the project started in 2001 introduce by HLL to increase the company’s rural distribution reach as well as providing rural women with income-generating opportunities by providing a sustainable micro enterprise opportunity and to improve rural living standard.

Summary

• Fair & Lovely has faced accusations of racism, fraud, and unethical promotions. The commercials for relating products’ guarantees have kept the company consistent in all promotions internationally. Hindustan Lever Ltd. has not adjusted the way they promote things to different cultures, therefore, results in “false promises,” which are just misinterpretations in the end.

Questions?

• Thank you!