Is it fair to drop the word fair from ‘Fair & Lovely’?

In the wake of “Black Lives Matters” HUL after being trolled on social media has announced to drop the word fair from one of its block buster brand “ Fair & Lovely “ , which is roughly  around 41 billion rupees  brand  and having roughly more than 70% of the market share of the targeted segment.

The brand which has been one of the most indispensables of majority of the households in Indian subcontinent & a big chunk of globe is all set to bid goodbye. But is it fair to drop the word fair from ‘Fair & Lovely’?

Just as Parle G is not just a biscuit but food for a bigger section of middle class & lower section of people & not to forget the college students who trade off their meals for the brand , same way ‘Fair & Lovely’ is not just a fairness cream but the cream which most of the households has been using from more than 4 decades. Their targeted segment no doubt has been the young females from their early teens to late thirties but, actually the product has been used as a unisex product offering a glowing & beautiful skin across the age group from children to teens to youngsters to middle aged to the oldies. Such deeply rooted is the brand that its fan following & its users are spread across the age group, across the geographies of Indian subcontinent, from villages to metros & from slums to nicely gated community dwellers. Very few brands  have been uniting people across the age groups, geographies across the culture & this brand has earned that space in heart of all ; though they might have ridden on the notion of the people being driven by their obsession for fair skin but today it stands  not only for just a fair skin.

Some online trawls, online protests & the big decision comes from the big house taking the social responsibility of dropping the so called big controversial word fair, because Black Lives Matters & they want to project themselves as not being a racist. But has the decision being taken in haste, was there not an alternative solution to this. Why to kill a brand when then same name can be used for a much better cause.

HUL being the brand custodians have announced for the change, but will it be just to its users. No doubt product matters but brand too matters to the customers. Market is flooded with options of creams but Fair & Lovely is the leader as it’s not just a cream, it’s a daily necessity which every child from his earliest memories onwards has grown up with. Before going to school or going outside ‘Fair & Lovely ‘ , has been a must. People have lived with this brand till their old age.

Very few brands have that longest association & all that is about to be put at stake with this decision. Those who actually are protesting on the social media, may not be the users of the brand. Also even  those who are protesting online might even be the most frequent users, as  they love being a part of the protests to show them hep & trendy standing for a cause but when it comes to being the product users they stick to the brand for the so called same offerings which brand has promised them. HUL needs to take a que from the strong protests against made in China products on social media, but stock out of the latest Chinese phone within minutes speaks of the reality. Bollywood nepotism online protest is yet another in the trend but let’s wait for the next movie or the show from the so-called houses who encourages nepotism trust me it will be yet another blockbuster.

No doubt HUL management would have taken this decision after taking into consideration all the pros & cons but I feel the fair use of word ‘Fair’ would have done justice to the brand rather than calling it off.

“Fair & Lovely” – the word fair could have been used in their communication to represent ‘fair’ which one needs to be from heart & it might have extended the life cycle of the brand. Just as the campaign ‘daag ache hain’  for Surf excel, yet  another power brand from the same house. Being Fair & Lovely could have been explored well. A fair lady not by the color of her  skin but  the one who is being fair to all, standing for the right cause , standing against the injustice around , standing for the right cause be it of equality to all , or standing against the dowry or house hold abuse , to standing for gender equality at the work place, or passing the message  aloud , ‘all life matters’ ,  taking the brand message to a new sphere maintaining the same brand name but adapting the brand offerings to its targeted customers. This might take the brand to  not only retaining its market share but also  saving a very hefty cost of change in packaging and humongous marketing cost which they ought to do to get the new brand name registered in the  mind of their customers which has been engraved in their mind & heart , right from their childhood .

HUL has  applied for registration & though the announcement has been done but this consideration of fair use of word Fair in Fair & Lovely  thought can make a big difference to their PNL , without risking the brand equity  & the bottom line yet delivering the message which they want to pass to their consumers that they are fair & the brand ‘ Fair &  Lovely ‘ stand for the right fairness of heart  & thoughts not just the skin which has been perceived since ages .

(the article is my personal views & don’t intent to hurt any one’s sentiments or intents)