interesting stuff about the recent spate of ads for the fairness cream
'Fair
> and Lovely' in India. Not very new, since versions of this were the
norm
> when I left India and that was more than 15 years ago, but probably
> amplified because of the increased intrusion of TV and other media into
our
> lives, in India, since the early '90s.
>
> description of a couple of the recent fair and lovely ads from my sister
> inlaw in bombay:
>
> Ad 1: A girl is frustrated that she can't find a job, her father screams
at
> her and says "why did I have a girl???". She starts using Fair & Lovely,
> becomes drop dead gorgeous and is recruited as an air hostess. The end
shows
> her taking her parents out for dinner...
>
> Ad 2: Family scene. Negotiation of a marriage proposal for the daughter.
The
> parents are looking at the boy's photo - a nice looking, fair guy, and
sigh
> "what a lucky girl". The girl hears these words and gets very affected.
A
> friend slips into her hand a tube of fairness cream. Result: when she
steps
> out of the house for her wedding, glowing and visibly fairer, the boy's
> parents exclaim "what a lucky boy!!!".
>
> HLL makes a fresh splash for Fair & Lovely NANDINI GOSWAMI AND RAKHI
> MAZUMDAR TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ TUESDAY, JULY 08, 2003 01:36:00 AM ]
> KOLKATA: It's a spanking new, chin-up profile. Hindustan Lever's dropped
the
> controversial 'gorapan' plank for its power brand Fair and Lovely, and
given
> its advertising a new-age glow. You could call it a rub-off of the
'Mandira
> Bedi effect.' The new communication for the product features a young
woman
> as an aspiring cricket commentator who shares the airwaves with Kris
> Srikkanth. It's all about acquiring that extra bit of glamour to make it
to
> the top, when one already has talent and an abiding interest in any
> vocation. The campaign comes after a forced hiatus of over two months
during
> which Fair & Lovely - a frequently-aired brand - went off the waves
after
a
> torrent of criticism from women's organisations for being "unfair" to
women.
> The advertisements were accused of being "an affront to a woman's
dignity
> and blatantly promoting preference for a son." "The new ads have a
> completely new storyboard. The young woman is really interested in being
a
> cricket commentator, but is not desperate for it. It's about grabbing an
> opportunity and acquiring an extra edge. Fair & Lovely could provide
that
> edge but it is not a life-saver," said R Balakrishnan, national creative
> director, Lowe. The agency handles the Rs 550-crore-plus brand for HLL.
With
> the market leader changing tack, the Rs 700-crore fairness brigade with
> players like Cavin Kare's Fairever and Emami's Naturally Fair may soon
get
> busy reworking their strategies. "We will not be following the HLL line
for
> our fairness cream. We are currently devising a new communication
platform,
> where we will harp on the (Naturally Fair) 'fairness' attribute," said
Mohan
> Goenka, director, Emami group. But does the shift in positioning reflect
a
> broader attitudinal shift in society? Sociologists seem to have mixed
> feelings on this. "The new ads seem to focus on a woman's glamour and
> confidence in what is an obvious toning down of the earlier message. But
the
> brand communication remains intact, helped in no small measure by the
name
> of the product... which is suggestive enough," said Prof Surendra
Munshi,
> department of sociology, IIM (Calcutta).
>
>
> Straight Answers ROSHNI OLIVERA TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ TUESDAY, MAY 13,
2003
> 02:19:13 AM ]
> Ravi Kant , Chairman, Advertising Standards Council of India On the role
of
> its Consumer Complaints Council. What kind of response has ASCI's
Consumer
> Complaints Council (CCC) got since the time it was formed? ASCI was
formed
> in 1986 as a self-regulatory body for advertising. Since then we've
> received over 2350 complaints. Can you tell us about the kind of
> complaints coming in? About 40 to 45 per cent of the complaints are
> concerning ads on television. That apart, there are complaints
pertaining
to
> print ads, hoardings and handouts. Majority of the complaints are
related
> to claims which are not true, misleading, denigratory of competition,
> harmful to children and similar to a competitor's ad. All the complaints
go
> to the CCC consisting of 21 members. A complaint with total particulars
is
> referred to the advertiser for comment, which is then placed before the
CCC
> for deliberation. The decision, based on the ASCI code, is conveyed to
the
> advertiser with a request to comply -- to modify or to withdraw.
What's
> the compliance rate? Compliance is about 85 per cent. Two months
ago,
> there was a directive from the government to TV channels to take off
> fairness cream commercials... The Central Government has enforced the
> discontinuance of specific ads on TV. The complaint on one TV ad of a
> fairness cream (Fair & Lovely) was upheld by CCC and the parties
informed
> accordingly, and another one is in the process of decision. What's
ASCI's
> stand on fairness cream advertisements which imply that only fair is
> beautiful? ASCI is not against advertising, but its code specifies
that
> advertising should not be discriminatory or convey perceived inadequacy
or
> offend public decency, which are pertinent to fairness cream
advertising.
> </D< div>
>
>
>
> Unfair and Unlovely [ FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2003 12:00:39 AM ]
> Fair & Lovely, plunging necklines, surrogate drinking. The fuss around
> so-called objectionable television content is getting tiresomely
routine.
> First, a group of social activists will petition the government against
the
> many ills on TV, including predictably improper portrayal of women. Then
one
> or another minister from the government will make pious statements
endorsing
> the same, followed by a crackdown of sorts against the guilty TV
footage.
> This time around, the axe has fallen on ads promoting fairness creams,
> surrogate drinking and music videos allegedly picturised on women in
> abbreviated clothing. One question needs to be asked here: Just what
> constitutes offensive television content? The harmful effects of both
> tobacco and alcohol are so well documented that today there is a
> near-consensus against their unrestricted promotion. Yet, even here,
> rather than ask for a complete ban, liberals are more likely to make the
> case for advertising these products with statutory warnings. This is
based
> on the principle of informed choice. If a consumer buys a product
knowing
it
> is harmful to her health, then it is a choice she has willingly and
> knowingly exercised. Alas the same thing cannot be said either for the
> fairness creams or the music videos. Indeed, in both instances, the
charge
> is not that they can cause physical harm, but that they portray women in
a
> manner that is demeaning to their self-esteem. It is nobody's case that
hurt
> must be physically quantifiable or that a hurt caused to a woman's
> self-respect is of no consequence. However, this is treacherous
territory.
> Who is to set the standards for offensive portrayal in the case of
women?
A
> face cream that promotes fair complexion among women undoubtedly reduces
> their worth to the colour of their skin. Yet, is this not a reflection
of
> the premium society places on fair-skinned women? Just look at the
> matrimonial columns with their inevitable stress on such adjectives as
tall,
> fair and slim. Equally worrisome is the crackdown on "offensive" music
> videos. If censorship of this kind is accepted, the logical next step
can
> only be an officially imposed dress code for TV anchors. That this
official
> concern is mere tokenism is apparent from the way women are treated in
real
> life as opposed to reel life. Surely it is more objectionable for a
woman
to
> be burnt for not bringing dowry than for her to be displaying skin on a
> music video? There is a further irony here: Women being portrayed in
only
> two categories in the profusion of daily soaps on television - as
doormats
> or as vamps.
>
>
>
> Bandh hits 'Fair & Lovely' fair TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ SUNDAY, FEBRUARY
09,
> 2003 02:46:27 AM ]
> PATNA : After making the country's women "Fair & Lovely", Hindustan
Lever
> Limited (HLL) has decided to shape their brains, too, by giving career
> counselling and education through its subsidiary, Fair & Lovely
Foundation
> (FLF), a non-profit organisation. FLF has organised a two-day career
fair
> here at Lady Stephenson Hall, beginning from Saturday, specially for
women
> and girls to help them in selecting career options and other decisions.
The
> fair, inaugurated by Usha Kiran Khan on Saturday, was adversely affected
by
> the bandh, called by various political parties. HLL (skin category)
> marketing manager Sangeeta Pendurkar said the main aim of FLF is to
improve
> life of women and encourage them for economic empowerment through
> information and resources in the area of education, career and
enterprise.
> On the first day of the fair, the number of participants was very low
till
> noon due to bandh. "See, it is bandh today. Anything can happen when you
are
> on the road. So no parents will allow their wards, specially girls, to
go
> out," said one FLF staff. The two-day fair is a part of series being
> organised by FLF throughout the country. It has already been organised
at
> Ahmedabad, Aurangabad , Jaipur, Lucknow , Bhopal , Pune, Hyderabad and
> Varanasi . "In our first project, we want to take it to the top 20
cities
> in the country over the next few months," the FLF spokesperson said. A
> workshop on career planning, goal setting, health care, bioscience,
> engineering, IT, management, finance and resume writing planned for the
day
> had to be cancelled as faculty members could not reach the venue due to
the
> bandh. In the workshop to be held on Sunday, students would be offered
> experts' guidance about career. In humanities, liberal arts, mass
media,
> government and defence services, study abroad and English conversation
> skill. Entry in the fair and workshop is free. However, one will have to
pay
> if one desires to appear in the aptitude test. Students, though few in
> number, were excited about the fair. "We hardly get an opportunity like
this
> to get information about all types of career options at one place," said
> Shakeel Anwar of B N College. Most of the students seeking counselling
> were aspirants for higher and professional education. "I am looking for
some
> good institution," said Manoj Ranjan, an MBA aspirant.
>
>
>
> Fair but not so lovely RAHEEL DHATTIWALA TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ TUESDAY,
MAY
> 07, 2002 12:13:30 AM ]
> Here's a funny piece by Melvin Durai, a Tamil Nadu-born humorist: Q.
What
> methods do you use to lighten your skin? (a) I regularly use fairness
> creams; (b) I rub coconut milk on my body every morning; (c) I roll
around
> in a paste of besan and milk cream every night; (d) I pray three times a
day
> to Aishwarya, the goddess of fair skin; (e) I eat five pounds of white
> chocolate everyday; (f) I never leave home when the sun is out; (g) I've
> changed my name to Gourangi, which means fair complexioned. It's the
likes
> of Hetal Shah who might have prompted to make Durai pen this. Hetal Shah
is
> 24, ebony dark and not-so-handsome. He's all set to get married. To
whom?
> "Someone who's fair and beautiful," he smiles coyly. Shah, and millions
like
> him, who equate beauty with fairness (irrespective of the
"oh-so-beautiful",
> dusky damsels like Naomi Campbell and Bipasha Basu) have led to an over
> 700-crore market of 'fair complexion' products in our country.
Ironically,
a
> vast number of regular fairness product users know that they don't make
you
> one bit fairer than the skin colour you were born with, and yet the
market
> for these products keeps going great guns. "People take a chance - they
hope
> something might just work someday," says beauty advisor Bhavya Bhatt. In
> fact, a fair share of the 'fair' market is captured by men. "Men are
> obsessed about having a fair complexion!" says Bhatt reflecting upon the
> irony of our society which, instead of making women less obsessed with a
> fair skin, has made men join the fairness bandwagon as well. From
home-made
> fairness recipes comprising besan and multani mitti, the market for
gorapan
> has progressed to creams, lotions and even soaps with exotic ingredients
> like vitamin B3 ("vitamin B does little in increasing fairness even when
> consumed orally, let alone when applied to the skin" says dermatologist
Dr
> Pravin Haribhakti), cucumber and honey (as sweet to the ears of the
consumer
> as to the cash registers of the manufacturer) and bizarre ones like real
> pearls! And, of course, the new buzzword - TPI or Tan Protective Index.
"As
> if SPF was not enough," says a dissatisfied fairness cream user, Jalpa
Shah,
> who in a span of two years has spent over Rs 2,000 on fairness creams
and
> soaps. "No miracles, though!" she says. "Fairness products have the same
> effect as a good sunscreen which prevents your skin from getting tanned
> further. Yet, there's a separate market for each," says Dr Haribhakti,
> expressing concern over the extent to which people are obsessed with a
fair
> skin. Coconut water, natural Oxy G (uh?), honey, TPI or pearls...
there's
a
> world to choose from. "People will even spend a thousand bucks on a 10
ml
> bottle of perfumed tap water if its advertisement promises you a fair
> complexion," smirks Shah. No wonder then that irrespective of societal
> status, the obsession with fairness remains undaunted - be it the
low-end
> range like Fair & Lovely, Fairglow, Fairever, the middle-ends like
Biotique
> and Avon and the high-ends like L'Oreal and Estee Lauder (priced at Rs
400
> and more for 75 ml). As they say, there's a sucker born every minute.
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
> Guv aur gori: All for a fair and lovely cause HARNEET SINGH TIMES NEWS
> NETWORK [ SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2002 12:20:56 AM ]
> CHANDIGARH: Fair & Lovely has had a long association with beauty. Since
> beauty without brains doesn't appeal much so it was obvious that those
> behind the product would soon cash in on the brains syndrome. That's why
it
> isn't so surprising to know that the brand name of Fair & Lovely has
been
> associated with a super achiever's career fest in Chandigarh. The aim?
To
> "empower students with the power to choose their career goals." Lt Gen
> (retd) JFR Jacob, Governor Punjab and UT Administrator, inaugurated the
> three-day fest at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16.
Also
> present at the occasion were three "women super achievers," actress
Sonali
> Bendre (who is also the brand ambassadress for Fair & Lovely), former
model
> and ad maker Arti Surendranath and Meera Zaveri, first lady of TBZ
jewellery
> store. In case you're just wondering why a governor would associate with
a
> Fair and Lovely (isn't black beautiful too?) cause, here is what Gen
Jacob
> has to say: "Whenever I meet students they always ask me about career
> prospects and job scenario in the city. It has always been my endeavour
to
> create opportunities for them but students need to know that just
Virendra
> getting a job is not the end, one has to have the aptitude, knowledge
and
> skill for it. And that's where career guidance comes in. Students have
to
> find what they are suited for and make maximum utilisation of the
> opportunities offered." Maithili, a counsellor with Young Buzz India
> Limited, a well-known career guidance company, explained the concept of
the
> fest: "We have created 16 career zones keeping in mind the common
aptitudes,
> personalities and interests that are required in each profession. The
> sessions will include talks, workshops, testing and discussions. We will
> also provide researched information in the form of career maps and
elaborate
> brochures." The fest, which is being promoted as "See your future more
> clearly with Fair & Lovely super achievers," is open to all school as
well
> as college going students. Interestingly, although the sponsor is well
> Virendra Saklani known for targeting this product at women, the fest,
though
> includes some special packages for the 'fairer' sex, is for men too.
"The
> endeavour is to impart skills, strength and confidence to both men and
women
> but we do have special workshops for women on topics like personal
> appearance, home decor and dressing style etc," Maithili avers. Even
Sonali
> Bendre was totally taken in by the concept as she said, "When I started
I
> didn't know a thing about career guidance. If I had known that I was
suited
> for modelling and acting then I wouldn't have wasted so much of
heartache
> over Masters in Economics. Students really need it and I for one feel
most
> strongly about it." All for a good, fair and lovely cause, right
Guv'nor?
>
>
> To be fair...
> SHEETAL VYAS
>
> TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ SUNDAY, JANUARY 27, 2002 09:45:06 PM ]
>
> Tall, dark and handsome. That's what the sexiest men are supposed to be.
And
> is as well known as the infamous 36-24-36 for their female counterparts.
>
> That it doesn't matter what skin tone the men sport? In fact, the darker
the
> skin the more macho his image? Any sighing teenager would tell you that.
Or
> so you'd think. But the word 'dark' seems haunts Indian men as much as
it
> does the Indian woman.
>
> Men in India, not to mention the society at large, appear to be as
> preoccupied with their skin colour as women are about their's. Doesn't
help,
> of course, that south of the Vindhyas, wheat and chocolate dominate much
> more than peaches and cream. "I have a complex about my complexion,"
admits
> Sudhir Rajan, chartered accountant. "My wife is rather fair and I can't
bear
> people commenting on the contrast. When our son was born, I was
desperate
> that he should be at least wheatish if not fair."
>
> If you think that those who worry about skin tone are a small minority,
> forget it! A survey commissioned by the Media Researchers Users Council
> (MRUC) found that men are responsible for the sale and usage of 32 per
cent
> of fairness products in India! Yup, they're out there buying Fair Glow,
Fair
> & Lovely, Fairever... whatever! "Matrimonial columns are filled with
demands
> for 'fair,'" says Devraj, PR professional who's an attractive shade of
> ebony, "and while I admit that it's not as bad as it is for women, I've
had
> quite a few girls turn me down on that score."
>
> In some cases, the prejudice carries over into professional lives as
well.
> Actor Ashish Vidyarthi is as handsome as they come but reckons he
couldn't
> make it as a hero because of his complexion. Ajay Devgan continues to be
the
> exception rather than the rule in Bollywood. It seems to matter in the
world
> of modelling as well. "Skin tone doesn't matter in television or films,
but
> on the ramp, it does," says choreographer and model trainer, Imran Khan.
"If
> you have six male models, at least four would be fair. It's mainly
because
> fair skin shows clothes of any colour to advantage." Well, some woes are
> apparently more than just skin deep. (Some names have been changed)
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
> ************** Visit our website at www.asata.org **************
> The Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) works to educate,
organize, and empower the Bay Area South Asian communities to end
violence,
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