Tall, leanand pale models with accentuated cheek bones peer at us from screens andbillboards everywhere, setting standards of beauty unattainable sans makeup andphotoshop. The ‘Scarcity Principle’ dictates that less the availability ofsomething the more it is valued. Marketeers have capitalized on this formula tosuch an extent that they deliberately portray and popularize what does notexist.
Further, when the concept of beauty is deployed to fuel culturalsensitivities and social inequalities, it can create insecurities deep enoughto mask science and logic, and emotionally drive consumers into aspiring for anunreal standard of what is but subjective perception. Themillion-dollar question then is- How do you market products aimed to augmentlooks without implying to the consumers in any way, that they inherently lackbeauty? While we have seen several brands attain this delicate balance todifferent degrees, one particular case stands out- not because it failed orsucceeded, but because it did both and simultaneously! Unilever with its vastlist of subsidiaries has an interesting way of using social ques to promote itsmarketing objectives. Dove, a Unilever brand recently rose to global acclaimfor its ‘Real Beauty’ campaign featuring untouched photos of regular women ofall races and all body types. This campaign aimed at reducing the dissonancebetween the unrealistic media representation of the female figure and women’sactual bodies. It not only allowed women to connect to on screen models for thefirst time but also refrained from inducing in them, self-doubts regardingtheir body images. Surprisinglyenough, the same parent company also fosters under its umbrella brands like Axeand Fair and Lovely, with visions diametrically opposing that of Dove.
WhileAxe objectifies women, and reduces them to lust magnets, Fair and Lovely playson consumer psychology to promote fairness as a factor of success. These casesraise serious eyebrows from the morality and ethics critiques. KatherineFroehlich, among many others has remarked- “Upon examination, the hypocrisy ofUnilever is remarkable – one brand advocates need for ‘Real Beauty’ andcondemns the world’s current beauty standard, while another frequently presentsand encourages unrealistic beauty ideals.” While this duplicitous move makessense in the context of brand positioning and targeting widely differentconsumer segments, it nonetheless cannot justify research outcomes that suggestdemeaning natural skin color in a country where most women are on the duskierside leads to lower self-dignity and confidence among women. Ultimatelyis marketing all about deluding consumers to achieve financial objectives? Doescorporate social responsibility stop at organizing community service events? Canbusinesses ever create value in the true sense not just for shareholders butall stakeholders? The future of Dove and Fair & Lovely might offer answers.For now, we can wait and hope that the answers will be ethically aligned.
