Same Same But Different

A little over a week ago I ran out of conditioner and had to run to the pharmacy to pick up another bottle. Routine errand, yes – only this time, I was in New Delhi, India so… same, same but different.

All over Southeast Asia and India there are souvenir stores and tourist traps that sell the same t-shirts, trinkets and tchotchkes. When you wonder aloud what the difference is between all of these shops, the hawkers always say, “same same but different.” I found this to be true in a number of different ways during my last trip to India and particularly with consumer beauty culture.

While there, I couldn’t help but pay attention to ads for beauty products seen on billboards, in magazines or in the daily newspaper. While most of the brands were quite familiar, the RTB or benefit messaging (okay, I’m not your average consumer) was totally lost on me. What’s “hair fall control” anyway?

After coming across the beauty section of the Hindustan Times (runs every Thursday!) and diving into Indian issues of Elle, Vogue and Cosmo, I determined that what women want all over the globe is the same same but different. We desire to feel beautiful (and have others agree), we enjoy the process of beautification and we have fun with products (well, maybe not all of us), and we are continually seeking the latest and greatest beauty solutions. The difference lies in what exactly it is that we’re seeking, or more likely, how we define it and where it falls on our scale of beauty priorities. 

A product that promises “hair fall control” wouldn’t likely catch the attention of an American woman – but one that promises thickness, strength or volume most definitely would. It’s the same same but different, no?