MARKETING MIX

Definition:
Marketing mix is the combination of elements that play a role in promoting and delivering
products and services to consumers or clients. In essence, it's about putting product or service in
the right place at the right time for the right price.

Elements of the Marketing Mix

The elements of the marketing mix referred to the 4 P's of marketing. The 4 P's of marketing are:

MARKETING MIX OF FAIR AND LOVELY

1. PRODUCT

The brand name fair and lovely is a patent produced by Lever Brothers Pakistan limited, fair
and lovely is an innovative and leading skincare brand. Fair & Lovely cream lightens skin color
like a vitamin mask

Variety

Fair and lovely offers a variety of products for men and women:

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 Cleansing:

Fairness Cleanup Face wash

Pollution Cleanup Face wash

Daily treatment:

Fair and Lovely Ayurvedic Care

Fair and Lovely Winter Fairness Cream

Fair and Lovely Advance Multivitamin Cream

Fair and Lovely Advance Multivitamin SPF 15 Cream

Enhancing Fairness:

BB cream
Powder cream

Expert Correction:
Fair and Lovely Anti marks treatment

Men's Solution:
Fair and Lovely Max Fairness multi-Expert cream
Fair and Lovely Max Fairness Face Wash
Fair and lovely Max Oil Control Face Wash

Quality

Fair & Lovely brand is committed and claim to deliver safe skin lightening benefits to its
consumers.

Ingredients

Fair and lovely is effective due to its special ingredients. It contains fruity factor and a special
fairness vitamin

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 Vitamin C and E are anti-oxidants that help in repairing the damaged skin cells by
removing the harmful free radicals.
Skin lightening action is achieved with the help of Niacinamide and Vitamin C.
Allantoin has smoothing action.
Fair and lovely contain SPF protection which is good that protects the skin from
UVA/UVB rays.
Fair & Lovely does not contain Alcohol. All the oil & fat used in Fair & Lovely products
are of vegetable or synthetic origin only.
The Oil Control Fairness Gel has Papaya as its main ingredient that makes the skin
glow.
The watermelon extracts in some of the products keeps the face cool and fresh and
protects from the harmful rays of the sun. The other principal components use dare
vitamin A, vitamin B3 and aloevera.

Packaging

Packaging includes the activities of designing and producing the container and wrapper for a
product. Fair and lovely cream comes in the primary and secondary containers. Primary
container includes the tubes of 25, 50 and 80 grams, secondary container includes the pack in
which the tube is kept. A package of the cream displays before and after photos of a woman
who used the product. It also comes in mini sachets. Care instructions are given on the package.

In 80 gram tube of Fair and Lovely, the fairness meter is given on

the pack of tube.

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Brand name

It is the brand name of any product that makes it a distinguishable commodity in the eyes of
discerning consumers. The brand name Fair and Lovely is a major asset. It is a patent brand
name, with sole rights claimed by Lever Brothers Pakistan limited.

2. PRICE

Fair and Lovely charges moderate price and also consider the budget constraint of lower and
middle class people to make it affordable to everyone.

Cost plus pricing

Prices of fair & Lovely brand are set according to the cost plus pricing strategy. Analysts
estimate the cost of labor and materials and after adding different expenses they compute the
total cost of the particular unit that the company incurs. After adding a suitable profit margin for
the retailer and the wholesaler and the company itself, a market price is reached.

Cash Basis

All the sales of the company are on the cash basis and no credit facility is given to its
distributors. The company gives off seasonal schemes of discount to distributors with an
objective that the benefit of discount should be passed to retailers and wholesaler.

Products Quantity Prices

Multi vitamin cream 25g Rs.50

50g Rs.105

100g Rs.145

Ayurvedic cream 25g Rs.38

50g Rs.74

100g Rs.145

Max fairness for men 25g Rs.50

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 50g Rs.89

100g Rs.145

Anti-marks 25g Rs.46

50g Rs.89

100g Rs.175

Discounts and allowances

In order to induce brand loyalty and increase customer satisfaction fair & lovely has been
providing different discount schemes as well as allowances to its customers:

Free gold earrings:

In 1998 fair & lovely introduced a limited time period offer of free gold earrings. The scheme
featured that 10 pairs of free gold earring will be awarded to 10 lucky females every month. Just
what people had to do was to send their NIC copy with their name and address. During the offer
time period sales increase was even greater than expected and customer response was immense.

Buy 2 get 1 free:

Fair & lovely introduced another scheme where they were offering a free tube at a purchase of 2
tubes. This offer of cumulative discount also proved to be very successful.

20% free cream:

2 years back a scheme was introduced in which 20% free cream was being offered at the same
regular price. This scheme was also very successful.

3. PROMOTION

Advertising

Fair and Lovely uses TV, Billboards, newspapers and magazines

for advertising purposes.

Fair and Lovely advertise their creams by posting ads in different

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magazines such as Sunday Magazine, Akhbar-e-Jahan and MAG. The TV commercials run
on channels like Geo entertainment, Sama, Ary, Hum TV, A-plus.

Advertisements of Fair and Lovely focuses on aspiration of girl getting the right man, achieving
career, status etc. Many famous personalities have been roped in to advertise the products. Yami
Gautam is the current brand model of Fair and lovely products and her ads in television have
become a hit. For the fair and lovely mens product, young cricketer Virat Kohli has been
selected as the model.

Fair and Lovely Foundation

Fair and Lovely brand is committed in empowering

women power and this initiative has led to the opening of
Fair and Lovely Foundation.

Fair and Lovely has announced scholarships for women

who are doing their graduation, post-graduation and PhD in
recognized universities. It aims to nurture young girls so they can realize their
potential to achieve success. The support provided by fair and lovely foundation has helped girls
avail opportunities of higher education and acquire skills in appropriate professions thereby
carving a path for their future.

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Personal Selling

They also go face to face with customers by organizing events where customers ask specific
questions about the product. There is also an option on the website called as Skin Analysis
where the consumer is able to know about her skin treatment.

Public Relations

Fair and Lovely organizes special events to promote their cream in which people are invited
along with famous celebrities.

Unique selling proposition

Power of beauty.
Fairness in 4 weeks.
Maximum fairness with the power of 8.
For flawlessly fair skin.
Change your story-Fair and Lovely Men Active.
Achieve your dreams, passions, hopes and desired life style by using Fair and Lovely.

4. PLACE

Fair and Lovely products are distributed from one warehouse to the selected distributor of the
company, and then the distributor make the product available to the wholesalers and at the end
the product is transformed to the retailers to be purchased by the final customer.

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Fair and Lovely products are available in almost thirty countries all across the globe. Fair and
Lovely has captured the markets of countries across Africa, Asia and Middle East. In
Bangladesh, it has netted the imagination of the people and the markets.

Distribution Network

Pakistan Unilever products are distributed through a network of 4,000 redistribution of

stockiest covering 6.3 million retail outlet reaching the urban population, and about 250
million rural consumers.
Its easily available in any retail shop, cosmetic outlets, chemist, etc.

PUL

Carrying and forwarding

Agents

Redistribution Stockiest

Wholesalers

Rural
Retailers
Urban
Retailers

Consumers

Figure 1: Distribution Channel of Fair and Lovely

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF MARKETING MIX

Fair and Lovely products are more focused on just skin whitening, and do not have any variety
for other types of customers who need any remedy for dryness, pimples and other skin diseases.

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One of the products was Fair and Lovely acne marks remover, which was launched by fair and
lovely before two years but it was banned after few months because of the repeated complaints
from customers. Its price is high than its competitors Fair and Handsome, Due, Garnier.
Moreover, the quantity of the cream in the tube is not according to the quantity mentioned on
pack. There are also many fake products with the name of Fair and Lovely are being sold in the
local markets. Fair and lovely sachets are not easily available in the retailer shops. In addition,
their advertisements discriminate the women on the basis of their skin color and they make the
dark skinned women suffer from anxiety and inferiority complex. Their advertisements clearly
points out that dark skinned women cannot be successful neither in their professional lives nor in
private lives. There was a Fair and Lovely Foundation launched by Fair and Lovely to give
scholarships to the girls for higher education. Due to this, many girls dream about getting higher
education and develop their career but the scholarship is provided only to one girl from the
whole country.

ETHICAL ISSUES WITH THE ADVERTISING OF FAIR AND LOVELY

Skin lightening products are used medically for the treatment of a range of skin disorders;
however a major market has developed in their use for cosmetic purposes, particularly in
countries where darker skin tones are prevalent. Many major multinational brands are active in
the sector and high percentages of women reportedly use the products daily.

Fair & Lovely is a profitable brand, but there are many ethical issues that arise in the marketing
strategies used, particularly in relation to the racist and sexist stereotypes and prejudices that
exist in relation to skin color. Additionally, a key target sector includes people who are not well
educated (if at all) and who are therefore unable to understand the controversy and criticisms, or
to understand that the efficacy of the product has not been verified. The use of the product by
children is a further concern. Many dermatologists and activists in women's movements dispute
these claims that Fair & Lovely is "doing well" and improving social welfare.

Fair and Lovely advertisements typically contain a message of a depressed woman with few
prospects that gains a brighter future by either attaining a good husband or a job after becoming
markedly fair. These advertisements show the face of that girl six times in a progression and

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shows that she became fairer after using the cream for some days. Here, it is interesting to note
that as the girl becomes whiter, she becomes noticeably happier.

Fair & Lovely's heavily aired television commercials typically contain the message of a
depressed woman with few prospects who gains a brighter future by either attaining a
boyfriend/husband or a job after becoming markedly fairer from using Fair & Lovely.
In another advertisement showed that there is a dark skinned young girl and her father
talks to her about her marriage. She gets depressed and she refuses her father as she is not
fair. But after using Fair and Lovely cream, the girl gets fairer and she agrees to get
marry because now she will have a good family and partner. The advertisement tries to
portray that by only using Fair and Lovely you can have: Good job, Own house, well
settled. According to these advertisements, the key to fame is simply and a tube of
fairness cream and there is a one week gap between you are fairness and then it is
guaranteed that you will acquire whatever you want, fame, success or a partner
Advertisers are also charged of making false claims in their advertisements just to prove
that their product is superior over that of their competitor's and to deceive the customers.
One Fair and Lovely advertisement showed a young, dark skinned girls father who was
lamenting that he had no son to provide for him as his daughters salary was not enough
due to dark complexion. The girl then uses the cream and gets a good paid job as an air
hostess and she makes her father happy.
There was another advertisement of Fair and Lovely mens cream which showed that
there is a magnetic action in Fair and Lovely. The guy used the cream and the girls were
appealed towards him because of the magnetic action.
The advertisement of fair and lovely is humiliating to the women as it has clearly pointed
the discrimination on the basis of the color. It also points out that beauty is defined in
context to the color of the skin rather than the features and dark skinned people cannot be
successful neither in their professional nor in their private lives. Fair and Lovely has
played a vital role in not allowing the discrimination of dark and lighter skin to fade out
from people`s minds. That`s why it has been there, it is there and it will always be unless
and until these fairness creams would stop making people fool with their advertisements.
They are openly insulting dark skinned women by showing that dark colored woman was
not able to achieve success and good status.

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Advertisements in all the countries in which Fair & Lovely is sold show product users getting
better jobs, getting married or having a brighter future (and being noticeably happier) as a result
of their lighter skin. The primary target market is women aged 18 35, with the poor being a
significant segment. There are reports of girls aged 12 14 using the product, which is marketed
in affordable small packages. Critics have claimed that the ads are socially objectionable,
racist, demeaning or even repellent. Two ads have been taken off air in India as a result of
protests, but others are still running. Fair and Lovely company claims the ads promote choice
and empowerment. Critics such as womens movements claim they entrench disempowerment.

Pakistan is a free country and all the citizens have a freedom of expression. In this scenario, it is
up to advertisers to ensure ethically responsible practices while making commercial ads. In this
extensive market economy, advertising has become an important element of the society.
Advertisements have the power to play a constructive role in the economic growth of a country.
Yet it also can do, and often does, severe harm to individuals and to the common good.

RECOMMENDATIONS

While the desire for darker skin is very different from that for lighter skin, which has deep roots
in colonization and slavery, they are both issues with little publicized, problematic health
consequences. That certainly sounds frightening, but few people know, or care, about the side-
effects changing skin color. I still know some people who think that this is the key to getting the
perfect guy, the perfect life. I know its too much to ask society to change racial problems
overnight, but there is certainly more we can do.

If I would be the marketing manager of Fair and Lovely then despite of showing discrimination
on the basis of skin color I would focus in making every skin type beautiful. Whether it is dark or
light I would suggest Fair and Lovely to market it in a way that We intend to make you look
good, whatever skin color you have... This would not only discourage the concept of
discrimination but also would make the people with dark skins confident. But the problem arises
when it says, FAIR and Lovely. So if possible I will also change the name and make it You
are Lovely. The commercials would not be made with intention to suggest any correlation

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between skin color and beauty. I will ensure ethically responsible practices while making the
commercial ad. I will strictly observe human dignity, truthfulness and social responsibility.

I will not depict a false picture of Fair and Lovely that is far from reality as the purpose of
advertising is to enlighten the customers about the product or service, not to make them suffer
from complex or make them look down upon others. I will never deceive the customers and will
not make such advertisements that will be hurting the sentiments of society and will not
categorize anyone on the basis of color

OPINIONS OF PEOPLE ABOUT FAIR AND LOVELY

Interviews were conducted from the people with diverse backgrounds. They shared their
experiences regarding Fair and Lovely and shared how this product delivers value to them. The
analysis of the respondents answers is as follows:

Table 1: Do you have the brand awareness of fairness products?

Table 1: Brand Awareness of Fairness Products

Brand Name No. of (%)

Respondent
Fair and Lovely Fairness 20 100
Cream
Garnier Light 18 74
Fair and Lovely Oil- 15 7
Control
Ponds 15 80
Himalaya Fairness Cream 19 40

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 Table 1: Brand Awareness of
Fairness Products (%)
Fair and Lovely
Fairness Cream
Garnier Light

Fair and Lovely Oil-

Control
Ponds

Some of the products, though existing in the market, are apparently not popular to the
respondents. Fair and lovely has well positioned its brands .All the people in society are well
known about this product. They are involved in heavy advertisement this is the reason that
majority of the customers have brand knowledge.

Table 2 Do you use the product Fair and Lovely?

Table 2: Usage of Fair and Lovely Products

Usage Status No. of Respondents (%)

Yes 20 60

No 20 40

Table 2: Usage of Fair and

Lovely Products (%)
80
60
Table 2: Usage of Fair
40
and Lovely Products
20 (%)
0
Yes No

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 Table 3: Do Fair and Lovely Products have any side effects?

Table 3: Side Effects of Fair and Lovely Products

Side effects No. of Respondents (%)

Yes 20 77
No 20 33

Table 3: Side Effects of Fair

and Lovely Products (%)
100

Table 3: Side
50
Effects of Fair and
Lovely Products (%)
0
Yes No

Table 4: Which brand you prefer among the fairness creams?

Table 4: Preference among the Fairness Creams

Preference among the No. of Respondent %

Fairness Creams
Fair and Lovely Fairness 16 30
Cream
Garnier Light 21 70
Lakme 15 77
Ponds 20 80
LOreal 19 66
Revlon 22 50

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 Fair and Lovely
Fairness Cream
Garnier Light

Lakme

Ponds

LOreal

Revlon

Table 5: Have Fair and Lovely advertisements influence your purchase decision?

Table 5: Fair and Lovely Advertisements Influence your Purchase Decision

Influence your No. of (%)

Purchase Decision Respondents
Yes 20 90
No 20 15

Table 5: Fair and Lovely

Advertisements Influence your
Purchase Decision (%)
100
Table 5: Fair and
Lovely
50
Advertisements
0 Influence your
Purchase Decision (%)
Yes No

Majority of the respondents feel that they are influenced by the advertisements. Many
respondents also expressed that these advertisements are exaggerations.

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 Table 6: In your perspective are Fair and Lovely ads are ethical?

Table 6: Fair and Lovely Ads are Ethical or Not

Fair and Lovely Ads are No. of (%)

Ethical or Not Respondents
Yes 20 20
No 20 75
Neutral 20 7

Table 6: Fair and Lovely Ads are

Ethical or Not (%)
80

60
Table 6: Fair and
40 Lovely Ads are Ethical
or Not (%)
20

0
Yes No Neutral

Use of color, fear of non-achievement and non-acceptance in the society that is used without
hesitance by advertisements of fair and lovely products, does invoke an ethical dilemma in
everyones mind. The table clearly reveals the fact that majority of the respondents view
advertisements of fair and lovely products as unethical.

Table 7: Do you experience the fear of being rejected after viewing Fair and Lovely
Products Advertisement?

Table 7: Experience the Fear of Being Rejected after Viewing a Fair and Lovely
Products Advertisement
Response No. of (%)
Respondents
Yes 20 20
No 20 75

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 Not Always 20 7

Table 7: Experience the Fear of Being

Rejected after Viewing a Fair and
Lovely Products Advertisement (%)
80
60 Table 7: Experience the
40 Fear of Being Rejected
after Viewing a Fair and
20
Lovely Products
0 Advertisement (%)
Yes No Not
Always

INTERVIEWS:

1. Fatima Rehman (35 years old Housewife) said,

I've used it for 2 years and I immediately noticed that I didn`t get as much pimples as I used to
and that my very dark tannish skin got really lighter than it ever had. I felt my skin smooth and
radiant. But as I left using it and adapted other cream, I suffered from severe acne and freckles
for which I had to take painful laser anti acne treatment. It is good if you keep using it
throughout your life, but one cannot use same cream for a very long period of time. I really do
not like this.

2. Asia Jameel (20 years old girl) shared,

I've used it for 2 years and I immediately noticed that I didn`t get as much pimples as I used to
and that my very dark tannish skin got really lighter than it ever had. I felt my skin smooth and
radiant. But as I left using it and adapted other cream, I suffered from severe acne and freckles
for which I had to take painful laser anti acne treatment. It is good if you keep using it
throughout your life, but one cannot use same cream for a very long period of time. I really do
not like this.

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 3. Hina Syed (18 years Student) shared,

Fair & lovely cream is a well-known and popular cream and they advertised too much on TV
thats why it's approaches to everyone and it is used by many people. Fair and lovely cream is
very bad product. I don't want to buy this product again. I think it is one of the most popular
fairness cream which is used by so many people. But its not giving any result after application.
They are telling that we will become fair within 7 days in advertisement. But my opinion is that
don't go with that advertisement because its not at all giving any kind of difference on your skin.
This product is available in market with very low price. After applying this cream our skin will
become darker. Its waste of money and time as well. But this cream fragrance is really good.
Smell is mild smell like flowers. But smell is not giving anything to us. We need to get result.
Its not at all good for our skin and not giving any result. Please don't buy and use this product.

4. Bilal Arsalan (23 years old Engineer) says,

This is the worst cosmetic, I ever came across... from its racist advertisement to its cheap and
uneducated remark on dark color. I used it for about two month. Result was nothing positive... It
really doesnt work. And all those people who are saying positive about this ugly cosmetic are
paid or fake.

5. Sikandar Butt (40 years old Pharmacist) says,

Never use this cream. Manufacturers of this cream use Pork lard as the main ingredient. People
in Pakistan have been using it for more than 40 years and some that I know have not become
even a single shade fairer. There are other Ayurveda ingredients that can be used (these are
nature's herbs) to treat skin color and age spots. Don't use this cream. I'm a pharmacist and I
know.
6. Amna Sohail (31 years old Housewife) said,

I am aware that this cream gets a bad reputation for the alleged stereotypes the company pushes,
but I needed a cream that would fade the extremely dark hyper pigmentation marks left over by
the bumps on my face, a genetic skin condition called keratosis pilaris. I must say this cream is
extremely effective. Within one week it has substantially lightened those dark marks, which I

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have been unsuccessful doing the last 5 years. Not everyone is using this cream because they
have bad self-esteem and want to change their skin color. Some of us use the cream to correct
skin pigmentation problems. This cream is effective at that!

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