What would you do? You have just started working as assistant brand manager for Silky Smooth skin cream, and you are responsible for one Southeast Asian country. Silky Smooth is a skin moisturizer that also lightens skin tone. However, the lightening feature has not been noted on Silky Smooth product packaging or in advertising. In this country there is discrimination against people with darker skin tones, so many consumers actively seek to lighten their skin. Two major skin cream competitors promote "skin lightening" by showing ads featuring an unhappy woman who starts using the product and becomes very happy and more successful with her lighter skin. Activists have protested against skin-lightening products because they reinforce a negative stereotype. Silky Smooth's consumer research predicts that promoting skin-lightening benefits to customers with darker skin tones would increase Silky Smooth sales by 20 percent in less than a year. You are wondering whether to target the market segment of women seeking lighter skin with advertising and packaging that emphasizes these benefits. Your boss says it is your call, while also reminding you of the bonus you receive for growing sales by 10 percent or more.

Do you have any concerns about this issue? Would you target this darker-skinned segment of the population? Why or why not?