In China, Reckitt Benckiser Group recently adapted a marketing plan for its Veet hair-removal cream, encouraging Chinese women to be more conscious of body hair.

Chinese women physically do not have much body hair and traditionally have not been concerned about it, so they are a new target audience. The company gave away free samples at universities, with careful use instructions.

Reckitt Benckiser Group then promoted the product as an absolute necessity to avoid embarrassment and to be professional. Veet even hired a Chinese actress, Yang Mi, to endorse Veet.

Discuss these questions as a group:

■ Is it ethical to convince a specific audience that a natural feature of their body is a negative?

■ How might this new product affect Chinese culture?
■ If you were working on the marketing team for Veet, what would you do if someone on the team introduced the new marketing strategy?
As your instructor directs,

a. Write an e-mail to your instructor explaining your findings, opinions, and conclusions.

b. Share your results with a small group of students.

c. Make a short oral presentation to the class discussing your findings and conclusions.