Banjara's Launches Campaign Against Colour Bias

CHENNAI, June 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Don't be 'UnFair' to Your Loved Ones

As a country we are besotted with 'fair skin', our colonial hangover having aided and abetted it. And nothing seems to lessen it; not increased education levels, nor increased incomes. This relentless quest for fair skin, applicable more to women, and the negative bias towards darker skin happens right from birth and reaches a crescendo when girls reach marriageable age.

Taking a bold stance against this deep rooted malaise, Banjara's, a natural cosmetic brand conceptualized and supported a social media-led movement #ProudofMyColor. The campaign aims to celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of people with dark skin to change the perception that dark skin does not equal beauty or is inferior in any way. A community of over 200,000 members has been created with vibrant user engagement and hundreds of personal stories being shared. The community has inspired the younger audience to feel confident, build self-belief and be proud of their natural colour.

Along with the anti-fariness message, Banjara's wanted to offer products that would enhance the natural beauty of the skin. They developed a skin care range under the label 'Skin +ve' (read positive) that keeps skin healthy, hydrated and protected.

To launch 'Skin +ve Beauty Cream', a short film was created that shows how traditionally the pressure to be 'fair' begins at home. The film captures the conflict between the views of the older generation versus the ideas of the new generation that believes that natural beauty and personality is what defines today's beauty rather than skin colour. The young daughter, a basketball champion symbolically tosses the fairness cream into a dustbin and the film asks the audience to 'Be Fair. Stop asking your loved ones to be fair'.

This film has received over 5 million views and has a cumulative 15 million reach till date and continues to be shared and liked by thousands every day.

#ProudofMyColor is today India's biggest platform against colour bias, with some of the highest engagement rates seen on any Facebook page in the country.

Commenting on the communication objective, Ramesh Vishwanathan, Managing Director, Banjara's said, "A woman should feel gorgeous in her natural skin colour. The focus of skin care products should be on making the skin healthy and not lighten its natural colour. Our lofty ambition is to make India colour bias neutral by 2020. As a challenger company in the FMCG category - Banjara's is committed to it."

The company plans to extend the #ProudofMyColor initiative into a wide social movement against colour bias and in support for natural healthy skin options. It is a rare crowd-sourced, volunteer led movement that provides a platform to celebrate the inspirational stories of people who have not allowed the colour of their skin or existing bias against it to affect their lives. It has received support by celebrities like Padma Lakshmi, Actor and Writer; Renuka Shahane, Actor; Radhika Nair, Model; Nidhi Sunil, Model; Jane De Suza, Author to name a few. 

Follow the campaign on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proudofmycolor

About Banjara's: 

Banjara's brings a touch of nature in people's lives to make them look and feel beautiful with the best effective hair and skin care products. Banjara's products are available across 60,000 outlets all over South India and prominent modern trade chains as well as E-commerce sites. From a humble beginning of just six different herbal beauty powders, the portfolio is now 60 products strong. Banjara's is the main supporter of #ProudofMyColor movement and endeavours to launch products and campaigns with a focus on healthy skin and not skin lightening. Banjara's aims to play the role of a challenger brand in the FMCG category. 

For more information, please visit: http://banjaras.co.in/index.html

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Mahesh S
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