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Matters have come full circle. Almost three decades after Hindustan Lever’s controversial launch of ‘Fair and Lovely’ – a fairness cream meant for women, Emami has developed the new ‘Fair and Handsome’ cream for men. The advertisement for this product has been significant on certain levels and quite indicative of the new social trends emerging in India.
The Social Angle
When the Fair and Lovely cream was introduced in the Indian market, there was considerable uproar and debate about the message it was sending to the millions of young girls – that a lighter skin tone is always preferred and that a darker person has a disadvantage in any given situation. Therefore, now it is ironic that the Indian male is being asked to spruce up his appearance and become more attractive to the opposite sex. Here, it must be mentioned that the Indian male, by and large, has taken it for granted that however shabby he may look, he would be acceptable. This perception is gradually changing now.
Although, it is not a very healthy for a man or a woman to be told that he would be better received if he or she were more fair-skinned, but that is not the issue in focus here. The point is that the average male, for a change, is being asked to improve his appearance, which is a more rounded and gender-equal approach.
An Evaluation
The advertisement is targeted mainly at the youth; with an opening sequence of a young man looking up to the glamorous and much adored Shah Rukh Khan walking down the red carpet amidst wild screaming and fanfare, surrounded by gorgeous women. The young man is amazed that despite the rigors of his work and his extremely hectic lifestyle, Shah Rukh still manages to have a great complexion. He wishes that he could be fair and handsome too, like Khan. Immediately, Khan steps in to provide the solution! He introduces the ‘Fair and Handsome’ cream, developed especially for the thicker male epidermis and stresses that a man should never use the ‘ladkiyon wali cream’ or the cream that is meant for girls, which is a subtly humorous reference to ‘Fair and Lovely’. The ad ends with a much happier and visibly fairer protagonist, thanks to the use of Emami’s product, and Shah Rukh Khan reiterates the fact that it is the No. 1 fairness cream in the world, ‘only for men’.
Emami played a master stroke by roping in Shah Rukh Khan because of his widespread acceptability and his uniquely humorous way of putting his message across. His endorsement of the product serves to reach the masses without leaving much scope for another round of vociferous debate on the subject. The ad provides adequate motivation for the male youth to seriously consider using the product, since it plays on the insecurities in the minds of young people when it comes to looking good, and also emphasizes that it is not a ‘girly’ fairness cream and in no way diminishes the masculinity of the user – an issue of utmost concern indeed for the average male. Again, the endorsement by a star such as Shah Rukh Khan leaves little doubt in the minds of potential consumers of the authenticity of the product.
All in all, the ad succeeds in capturing the attention of the viewer along with the required dose of humor, while publicizing the product well.
Shraddha Suresh
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Thanks for sharing the information. Emami Fair and Handsome Advanced Fairness Men Range products are specially formulated for Men using the patented Peptide Technology from Activor Corp., USA to improve the skin complexion in 4 weeks.
So, for the man serious about skin care & grooming appearance, here is the Unique Fair & Handsome range.