Pantene and I Commit to Change Accused of Deceit by Facebook Fans

A known shampoo brand is being accused of deceit by its Facebook fans over its campaign, "I Commit to Change." The said campaign led people to believe that what they are joining is a legitimate movement for change and for the empowerment of women and not connected to any product. It was found out however that the entire page was in fact the relaunching page for the new Pantene product. (Note: The one at the left is the original log when ICTC first appeared and there was no mention of Pantene or even a brand or product launch.)

The blog, "Pagod Ka Na Bang Maging si Juan?" in its article entitled "Pantene Deceived People in Its Facebook Page: Where is the Ethics?" the whole incident was narrated.

"Sa kanilang mga pinalabas sa FB page at sa mga note maliwanag na sinabi na ito ay isang "movement committing for change." Kahit minsan walang binanggit na isa itong commercial product o brand." (In all of their actions in the Facebook page including the notes they said that it was a movement committing for change. There was not a single mention that it is connected to any commercial product or brand.)

Fans especially those who are promoting organic products are also furious about the deceit made by Pantene. Mei Velas, owner of ASYAnna said that the administrators of the Facebook page deleted her comments and even offered her to delete her entry for the contest.

"It would have been another matter had they said something like ICTC+Pantene. Then clear where they are coming from. As for me, I wouldn't have joined had I known it was Pantene-sponsored because I am a promoter/user/seller of ...organic/natural personal care products!" says Velas.

Another blogger who also promots beauty and personal care products Marj Sia said, "Iba na talaga ang approach ng companies ngayon just to get their products going. Aggressive na masyado." (Company's approaches these days are really very aggressive)

A blogger and editor for Philippine Online Chronicles, Noemi Lardizabal-Dado or "momblogger" in Twitter replied and said that these PR tactics are not new, "Using advocacy is nothing new in PR." Fans however said that their main concern is the lack of disclosure and the trust they have given to something which they thought was a genuine movement and cause.

We have updated this post to show how the deception occurred and how the logo was changed slowly and then finally reveals Pantene.  The first change of logo came after more than a month and then 7-14 days before the relaunch of Pantene the "obvious" Pantene logo was unveiled.

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We decided to check out the website of Pantene at www.pantene.com to check if there is anything that mentions about their genuine commitment to a movement called "I Commit to Change" but it turns out that there was nothing there. Sad thing also is that the Philippines was not even included in the list of Asian countries in the website. The only listed Asian countries are Korea, Japan, China and Pakistan.

Pantene is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble.


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