Responding to the consumer: When and how firms should react to criticism

Smart corporations don't just launch new products, they even tweak entrenched ones when need arises

When Hindustan Unilever de­cided to drop the word “Fair” from the well-en­trenched Fair & Lovely, it explained its decision using the terms “inclusive” and “diverse”. That it was facing sustained criticism for promoting “fairness” as a virtue was known, but whether the Black Lives Matter movement provided a strong final nudge to take such a drastic step remained unaddressed in its communication.

Either way, here was a company that responded to criticism taking a major step as did Nestle by taking off its instant noo­dles Maggi — when it faced both regula­tory pressures and public outcry — in 2015 or