The Hindu Business Line : Right brand, wrong gender?

Recently, I saw an advertisement wherein a teenage boy slinks into a girls' hostel to steal a pack of a fairness cream. Shooed away, after being almost caught, he is chided by his friend who advises him to get his own fairness cream, meant for males. The young man actually procures one, uses it and turns out to be `fair and handsome.' How fair ... oops ... how far can you go with the offering?

I know of an extremely successful brand, Fair and Lovely, which still does wonders in the market place, as well as to the self-esteem of young ladies. I had also heard that a portion of its sales comes from male consumption, clandestine. I am yet to come across any information which says that men shout from rooftops, claiming to use Fair and Lovely.

There is a concept in brand marketing of some consumption or offerings being of the `unmentionable' variety. Maybe, the male consumers of Fair and Lovely fall into that category.

But putting an ad on national television, where young males are announcing and pronouncing that they will be `Fair and Handsome' by using a brand by the same name, is a case where I wondered `right brand, wrong gender?'

Fairness is an attribute sought by many human beings, male or female, cream or powder. But announcing `Fair and Handsome' as the answer to `Fair and Lovely' is like saying, instead of "Me Tarzan, you Jane", "Me Jane, you Jane." Right brand. Wrong gender?

There are some aspects of consumers behaviour which are consumed quietly as `unmentionables.' With this public announcement and pronouncement, will more male teenagers come out and embrace this offering? And if some do, will female teenagers look up to these `Fair and Handsome' guys?

In any case, it is the female consumer who has primarily aspired to and bought into the fairness category. Almost 75 to 80 per cent. Will this niche offering, crossing gender lines, succeed or just be a case of finding a niche in the market, and not being able to find a market in the niche?

Fairness as a category is growing, but for the right audience. My brand mantra is, `Don't sell the right product to the wrong audience.'

My new book Brand Segmeantation has just been released, wherein I strongly recommend that a brand must be `meant' for a seg`meant' and the seg`meant' must be meant for the brand.

I wish this brand had been launched a little earlier so that I could have used it as an example of questionable segmentation.

A little while earlier, a similar attempt in a different product category brought back the question to my mind. This was with reference to Lux, a brand I have admired and respected as one which has a clear segmentation and a beautiful positioning for so many years. But now in its 75th year, having a man in a huge bathtub, although a male star, aspiring for Lux, made one think - is this a tribute to a great brand or a dispute with a great brand's segmentation and positioning?

Some ideas in brand marketing could be a piece of genius, others could just be desperation to be noticed. This kind of risk can be taken with brands which are yet to command respect, but not in those brands which are considered almost immortal brands.

Seeing the Lux ad, with an undressed man in the bathtub and four women, all stars, outside the bathtub with clothes, strongly brought back the question `Right brand, wrong gender?'

In fact, one often wonders whether a short schematic campaign should be used at the risk of disturbing a long-term thematic campaign?

In another case of recent advertising, well, pleasantly, I was able to notice a young, vibrant, fresh ad campaign of two stars in the Clinic All Clear anti-dandruff shampoo campaign.

A couple is out on a date. The man notices what he thinks is hair on his girlfriend's shoulder.

There is a gentle argument between the two and the man examines the `hair' only to discover it's a thread from her dress, and that the lady's hair is clear and strong. Now, for a change, the answer, not a question, came to my mind — Right brand, right gender!

(The writer is Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants.)

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