APAL|2012PGP056|SECTION B

Research Study Formulation-Qualitative Marketing Research

Research Problem
The given article, as well as secondary research, suggests that the Dark is Beautiful campaign aims at fighting Indias obsession with fair skin, and hence can prove a big deterrent to the business of Fairness Creams in the country. The Rs 2,940-crore fairness cream and lotion market saw a negative growth of 4.5% in sales volumes for the year ended June 2013, according to Nielsen's moving annual total (MAT) sales, while in contrast the entire skin cream category registered a higher growth. Our aim, in this research is to understand the impact of Dark is Beautiful campaign on the purchase preferences of Fairness Cream users in India. Hence, the Research Problem goes like this: Understanding the various stakeholders involved in the Dark is Beautiful campaign and evaluating the Impact of the campaign on purchasing preference of individuals as regards Fairness Creams We shall abstain from conducting the research in a particular geography, retail store or locality because the campaign is viral and does not pertain to any particular geography. However, we shall conduct an Experimental and Control group analysis-wherein we aim to understand the behaviour of individuals exposed to this campaign as against to those who werent. The working model which we wish to explore is:
Dark is Beautiful Campaign (WOW) Thwart the Value Proposition of Fairness Creams

Motive

Negative Perception

Impact

End Consumer

V.P- Confidence and Success

Positive Perception

Fairness Creams (Company)

No Sales

Sales

Retailers (Distribution)

QMR Assignment-Apal

1|Page

APAL|2012PGP056|SECTION B

Explanation of the Model: The Dark is Beautiful campaigns motive is to change the Indian mentality that dark skin is a problem that needs to be rectified and that fairer skin brings confidence and success in personal and professional life. This value proposition of Fairness creams, conveyed through Advertising and other forms of promotions, reaches the end consumer and influences his/her purchase decision. If the value proposition is negated by this Dark is Beautiful campaign, which reaches consumers mostly through Online Media, then consumers would view Fairness Creams unfavourably. In the former case, the perception would result in sale of Fairness creams/other products while in the latter, therell be no sale.

Qualitative Techniques and Rationale

The different stakeholders involved in this debate are: 1. Fairness Cream Manufacturers 2. Women of Worth (WOW) 3. Nandita Das 4. Distribution Network of Fairness Creams (Retailers, Distributors) 5. Consumers

Since all the stakeholders involved have a role to play in this debate, well adopt a Multiple Unit of analysis approach. The Qualitative technique adopted for each of the stakeholders is as mentioned below: 1. Fairness Cream Manufacturers: The Marketing department of a major Fairness Cream manufacturer would be the epicentre of our study. Ideally, we would like to adopt an in-depth interview method with people involved in deciding upon Advertising campaigns and other forms of promotions (Manager, Brand Communications). An in-depth interview is suited for this analysis because: a. We aim to understand motives of these companies behind these advertisement campaigns. Now, its more the non-verbal cues we are interested in deciphering than the verbal ones because naturally, every manufacturer would say that the motive is to make people confident and successful in their lives. b. We also wish to understand the importance given by these manufacturers to WOW and their reactions to the Dark is Beautiful campaign. This will tell us whether they view WOW as a threat to their company as well as the Industry as a whole, and are they taking any steps to mitigate the threat. As a researcher, its very important to go armed with secondary research before exploring such a topic otherwise the Managers wont say anything other than No Comments to open ended questions.

QMR Assignment-Apal

2|Page

APAL|2012PGP056|SECTION B

c. The no. of respondents is not expected to be high, and hence the entire process would not turn out to be too tedious or time consuming. 2. Women of Worth: We attempt to understand this organization, its motives, its activism plan and its objectives from this campaign. Now though all this can be studied through Secondary reports, mission and vision statement, press releases and ofcourse Personal Interviews, I would like to recommend an Ethnographic study for the same. The primary idea behind is to uncover the deeply rooted emotions and feelings within these individuals which can only be understood by spending time working with them and appreciating why they do what they do. Broadly speaking, an ethnographic study is suited because: a. We wish to know as to why this organization was formed, what is the background of its members, what motivates these people to fight against Fair skin obsession, what are the pain points felt by these individuals, how strongly they believe their objectives and how do they implement the same. b. We also want to understand as to how this organization promotes the Dark is Beautiful campaign, what are the tie-ups its looking for, what is the culture within the organization, what sort of hand holding and support is provided by them to members of the community c. In depth interviews would be a part of Ethnographic research as such people (activists + supporters of the movement) would only open up to people they trust. This is different from giving a Media interview, because here conversations will take place in confidence. The researcher should attempt to become a member of this organization, get into the inner circle and conduct field work activities along with them to prepare his/her analysis. 3. Nandita Das: Though Nandita Das is only an individual, her contribution to this Campaign cannot be undermined. The Dark is Beautiful campaign only gained mileage once she started actively promoting it through various media. Hence, an in-depth interview would be best suited wherein we would attempt to understand the following: a. Her perception about Fairness Creams and Fairness Cream Manufacturers b. Her thoughts on the Dark is Beautiful campaign and WOW c. Her thoughts on how to change consumers perception that Fairness leads to confidence and success 4. Distribution Network: Retailers are the most important connect between a Company and Consumers. A retailers insight is equivalent to 50 consumer insights, since they are in constant touch with the consumer and provide a pulse of the market. An FGD of retailers (6-10 retailers per FGD) selected on a pre-targeted judgment sampling basis in certain selected cities is advised. These cities should ideally include an aggregation of Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 cities as well as smaller towns. Retailers who possess atleast some knowledge of the Dark is Beautiful campaign are taken for the FGD. The reasons behind conducting a FGD are: a. Retailers help us explore Brand Perceptions of fairness creams among Consumers, and whether perceptions have turned negative in the last some months.
QMR Assignment-Apal 3|Page

APAL|2012PGP056|SECTION B

b. They help us understand Purchase pattern/habits of consumers regarding fairness creamshas there been a change in their purchasing habits/reduction in purchase post the Dark is Beautiful campaign? c. Retailers own perception of the campaign and the degree to which they attribute change/no change in purchase patterns of consumers to this campaign (there might be other reasons which may have caused drop in sales, if any) d. Accounts of Voice of Customer, Customer language and Customer awareness can be obtained in rich detail 5. Consumers: Consumers would be selected through Pre targeted judgment sampling. Theyll then be divided into two groups, ones who have already been exposed to the Black is Beautiful campaign and the ones who havent. This will help us understand the impact on purchase patterns brought solely by this campaign. For both the groups, a Survey Method would be used in combination with Personal Interviews of a select set of individuals. The people who havent would be further sub-divided into two groups-one group will be exposed to the campaign idea through projective techniques because it would help understand consumer perception of the campaign more vividly and also provide natural unbiased responses. The other group would serve as the Control group. A Survey + Interview approach would be followed because: a. Survey provides a basis for data collection- easy to collect and easy to interpret considering that the sample size is large b. Survey provides a platform for the in-depth interview, wherein certain points of the survey are addressed viz. Consumers perception towards Fairness Creams before the campaign, their perception of Fairness Creams after the campaign, impact of the campaign on their purchasing habits, what do they associate this campaign with etc. c. Voice of Consumer can be captured with Customer quotes Projective technique would be useful because: a. These techniques can depict real life situations, to which consumers can relate easily b. This technique is proven to provide natural responses and reduces respondent bias c. Its easier for people to talk about others than talk about themselves (hence Cartoons etc. can be used)

Profiling of Respondents
Though weve already touched upon the profiling of respondents, we shall discuss the same again in a nutshell for the benefit of the readers. 1. Fairness Cream Companies: Respondent profile-

QMR Assignment-Apal

4|Page

APAL|2012PGP056|SECTION B

Managers involved in making Brand Communication decisions-Top and Middle Management Managers/Executives/Associates involved in executing Promotional campaigns Brand Managers, involved in deciding Target Group, crafting Positioning statements and capturing Consumer insights Demographics- both Male and Female

2. Women of Worth: Respondent profile Campaign Leaders, Opinion Leaders- those who set Campaign objectives Activists-those who follow directives set by the Leaders Demographics- both Male and Female, educated (graduation or higher), social media savvy

3. Retailers: Respondent profile Aware about Dark is Beautiful campaign, Reads Newspapers Stocks Fairness Cream products, among other skin care products Good standing in the local community-respected and trusted, been operational for sometime Demographics- Both Male and Female, Age between 15 and 45, Both educated and noneducated

4. Consumers: Respondent profile Tech savvy, keep abreast of current affairs, active on Social Media (Online) Younger demographics- 13 to 35 yrs of age, predominantly female Current Users/Lapsed users of Fairness Creams(Heavy/ Medium/ Light)

Detailed guide with Relevant Questions

Stage 1: Fairness Cream Manufacturers Question Guide:

Sl. No. 1 2

Question for In-Depth Interview Why Consumers buy Fairness Cream? What is the Value proposition your cream provides? How does Fairness bring confidence and success to an individual personally and professionally

QMR Assignment-Apal

5|Page

APAL|2012PGP056|SECTION B

3 4

What is your response to Dark is Beautiful campaign? Do you view it as a threat What is the Industry outlook for Fairness creams in India? Whats your short term and long term strategy?

* Secondary Data sources will also be accessed-Company reports, Press releases Internal records

Stage 2: WOW Question Guide: Sl. No. 1 2 3 4 Question to be answered through Ethnographic Research Life Histories of its founding members and supporters-is there any underlying reason for taking up this cause (Identifying Critical incidents) Methodology adopted by WOW to spread awareness about this campaign-Media used, reach of Media, BTL Activities; short term and long term objectives of the Organization Impact of campaign on Consumers-how does the organization measure success of the campaign, who does it give credit for the success Organizational Structure, Culture, Leadership, commitment towards goals

Stage 3: Nandita Das Question Guide: Sl. No. 1 2 3 Questions for In Depth Interview-Nandita Das What do you think about Fairness Creams and the claims made by them? What are your thoughts on the Dark is Beautiful campaign and WOW? How can we change consumers perception that Fairness leads to confidence and success

Stage 4: Retailers Question Guide:

QMR Assignment-Apal

6|Page

APAL|2012PGP056|SECTION B

Sl. No. 1 2 3

Questions for FGD-Retailers How do consumers perceive Fairness Creams now vis--vis before this campaign came to light? What are your thoughts on the Dark is Beautiful campaign and WOW? Has consumer purchase preference towards Fairness Creams reduced after the campaign? Can you provide some Customer Verbatim in this regard?

Stage 5: Consumers Question Guide: Sl. No. 1 2 3 Questions for Survey+ Interview-Consumers Why do you use Fairness creams? What benefits do you think they provide? Has the Dark is Beautiful campaign changed your perception towards Fairness creams? Has there been a change in your purchase preference/habit/pattern towards Fairness Cream after being exposed to the campaign? If yes, then how?

Data Management and Analysis

There are different ways to analyse data. We can either use a thematic, descriptive approach or detailed in-depth methods. Here in this scenario, a thematic analysis appears to be well suited. Thematic Analysis: This analysis scrutinizes data from the point of view of common recurring themes, and helps us summarize data into the most important themes. The key stages to be followed for the same are: 1. Read and Interpret transcripts: The idea is to obtain a basic sense regarding the direction in which data is pointing through preliminary observation. In other words, we are just trying to make sense of the data we have. 2. Identify themes: Since we cannot make sense of all the Interview and FGD transcripts in isolation, we would look for common themes across data sets; summaries of Whats going on here. In other words, we are trying to create blanket categories wherein we would feed individual data. For instance, a consumer may say that hes heard about Dark is Beautiful campaign through Newspapers, Television, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Now, we have two options: either to label all these as Secondary Sources of Information or to create two separate
QMR Assignment-Apal 7|Page

APAL|2012PGP056|SECTION B

labels: Traditional Media and Online Media. All transcripts containing such words would then be put in either of these categories. For the sake of simplicity, we would number the lines when coding (easy to refer and discuss). 3. Coding Scheme and Data coding: Coding scheme constitutes a list of themes and the codes that will apply to the data. For instance, lets consider the previous example of Sources of Information. The overall construct would be Sources of Information and would contain the following codes: Primary Sources (code 1) Friend- code 1.1 Family- code 1.2 NGO- code 1.3 Secondary Sources (code 2) Newspaper-code 2.1 Facebook- code 2.2 Twitter- code 2.3

Using different themes, we would code the entire dataset.

4. Cut and Paste: This is an aggregation of codes. We take data extracts out of original transcripts and put them together to see if there is some pattern emerging out of them. For instance, majority of women came to know about Dark is Beautiful campaign through Social Media while majority of Males came to know about it through their social circles. Data Validation: There are two Validation strategies: a. Triangulation: Data findings from two varied sources would be compared to evaluate consistency of data. For instance, FGD of Retailers about Consumers perception of Fairness and Interviews of End consumers should more or less provide the same results. b. Member Checking: This includes feeding findings from the data analysis back to participants to check whether This is what they exactly meant and assessing how far they consider the findings to reflect issues from their perspective.

Expectations from the Study

QMR Assignment-Apal

8|Page

APAL|2012PGP056|SECTION B

The study should show a negative impact on Customer Preference for Fairness Creams as a result of the Dark is Beautiful campaign by WOW, for the segment which has been exposed to the campaign. However, impact of the campaign on Sales may or may not result in a strong correlation.

QMR Assignment-Apal

9|Page