Nitya was preparing for a meeting with an Indian company that manufactured hair oil and fairness cream. She wanted to make use of past research in order to offer her client insights on consumer values. Were emerging markets significantly different from developed markets in terms of consumer values? Were existing brands connecting with Indian consumers? Could values become associated with different socio-economic classes of consumers? With radical changes in the lifestyles of consumers and the proliferation of categories and brands, the Indian context offers unique marketing challenges to marketers.

Emerging markets are being pursued by large multinational companies. With radical changes in the lifestyles of consumers and proliferation of categories and brands, the Indian context offers unique marketing challenges to marketers. The case deals with the perspective of how cultural values can provide the differentiation platform for brands in the categories of hair oil and fairness creams, the ritualistic categories used in the grooming habits of consumers in the country.