Lux (soap)

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Lux Laundry Soap Ad, 1916

Lux soap was first launched in the UK in 1899 as a flaked version of Sunlight soap.
Subsequently it was launched in the US in 1916, and marketed as a laundry soap targeted
specifically at 'delicates'. Lever Brothers encouraged women to home launder their clothes
without fear of satins and silks being turned yellow by harsh lyes that were often used in soaps at
the time. The flake-type soap allowed the manufacturer some leeway from lye because it did not
need to be shaped into traditional cake-shaped loaves as other soaps were. The result was a
gentler soap that dissolved more readily and was advertised as suitable for home laundry use.[1]
Lux is currently a product of Unilever. The name "Lux" was chosen as the Latin word for "light"
and because it was suggestive of "luxury."[1]
Lux toilet soap was introduced as a bathroom soap in the US in 1925, and in the UK in 1928 as
a brand extension of Lux soap flakes. Subsequently Lux soap has been marketed in several
forms, including handwash, shower gel and cream bath soap.
Lux soap was launched in India in 1929. The very first advertisement in 1929 featured Leela
Chitnis as its brand ambassador. It was branded in India as "the beauty soap of film stars'.
As of June 2009 Lux is sold in over 100 countries
Celebrity endorsements
Hollywood
Since the 1930s, many well-known Hollywood actresses have marketed the soap to women as a
beauty enhancer. Advertisements have featured Dorothy Lamour[2], Joan Crawford[3], Laurette
Luez, Judy Garland, Cheryl Ladd, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Taylor, Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica
Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rachel Weisz, Anne Hathaway, and Marilyn Monroe, among
others. The first male to star in a Lux advertisement was Hollywood actor Paul Newman.[citation
needed]

Bollywood
Today, the brand is still heavily advertised in India using Bollywood stars.[2] Madhubala, Mala
Sinha, Hema Malini, Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Karisma Kapoor, Rani Mukerji,
Aishwarya Rai, Amisha Patel, Kareena Kapoor and Tabu have all been past brand
ambassadors.[citation needed] Priyanka Chopra is the present brand ambassador of Lux. In India
Shahrukh Khan was the first male in a Lux advertisement[4].
Pakistan
Lux has been widely advertised in Pakistan ever since the brand was introduced. Pakistani
models including Reema Khan, Meera, Aaminah Haq, Babra sharif and various other leading
models and actresses have been "Lux models" from time to time. Lux remains the leading soap
brand in Pakistan, representing the stylish class of Pakistan. Things started with a TV show
called Lux Style Ki Duniya, now with the country's leading models and actors taking part in the
annual Lux Style Awards every year. Ali Zafar the famous Pakistani Singer has become the first
male model for Lux.
Other countries
Lux soap is very popular in Nepal and the brand appointed Nepali model-turned-actress Jharana
Bajracharya to be the Lux Girl in the Summer of 2003. After that, she appeared on many TV
commercials. Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji appeared as the face of Lux soap in 2004. Two
decades earlier, singer Patti Boulaye had been Nigeria's face of Lux. In Norway during the 1950s
and 1960s, Lux advertisements featured fictional Italian actresses. Lux soap is also a category
leader in Pakistan, the brand being synonymous with glamour. While initially it was also
marketed as the beauty soap of the film stars, recently it is focusing more on bringing out the star
in ordinary people. Current brand ambassador is Iman Ali.
Soap operas
Lux soap was known for sponsoring several popular radio series in the 1930s and 1940s
including Lux Radio Theater that was hosted and directed by Cecil B. DeMille [5]and the Life and
Love of Dr. Susan[6], an early soap opera.
This radio sponsorship made the brand fairly well-known in the United States while the shows
were produced, though the soap has since disappeared from mainstream American markets and is
no longer the recognized brand it once was. Many Hollywood stars were lured to appear on Lux
Radio Theatre not only due to its high quality, but that the actors and actresses received monetary
payment instead of free samples of the product. From 1950 to 1959, Lux sponsored Lux Video
Theatre and Lux Playhouse on television.

Lux : Celebrating Beauty

Brand : Lux
Company: HLL
Agency : JWT

Brand Count :190

Lux is a super brand that celebrated beauty across the world since 1925. The soap which
was endorsed by the beautiful film stars came to India in 1929. Lux has been the largest
selling personal wash brand in the country.

Lux has effectively managed its PLC through careful brand building and changing the

pro duct in line with the changing consumer. The brand is

being positioned as the favorite soap of Film stars has been consistent interms of
communication and positioning. The brand is also the classic example of successful
celebrity endorsement. The first celebrity to endorse the brand was Leela Chitnis . From
Leela to Aishwarya , From Madhuri to Madhubala, Lux has been endorsed by more than
50 film stars ( a sort of record isn't it). But in all these communications, the celebrity
never shadowed the brand.

Lux was always changing with the times. Whether it be interms of the product or
interms of promotions, the brand kept the consumers excited. Lux has two basic
extensions interms of segments. Lux beauty soap and International Lux.
Lux was initially a premium brand. Lux was being projected as an aspirational brand
and the endorsements by stars further reinforced the positioning. The increasing
competition in the soap category forced Lux to rethink on its targeting strategy. The
brand had a choice either to compromise on market share and uphold the premium
positioning or to retain the market share and dilute the positioning. Lux wanted to
ensure that the brand be positioned as premium but also did not wanted to compromise
on the share. Thus born International Lux which is the premium variant and the
affordable segment was catered by Lux beauty soap.
Lux beauty soap is available in Four variants : Exotic Flower Petals,Fruit
Extracts,Almond and Sandal. Lux has a common ingredient of Milk cream in all the
variants.

Although the brand enjoyed success and has sustained its leadership position, of late
this brand has been facing issues of stagnation. The stagnation is caused by the plethora
of brands competing for the market share and the scope for differentiation has reduced
to almost nil. Together with the rush for celebrities to endorse anything from salt to
cars, Lux is finding it difficult to sustain growth in this cluttered market.

In 2005 Lux celebrated its 75th anniversary sparking of a controversy. Deviating its
tradition of roping in Bollywood Divas , this time none other than Shah Rukh Khan
endorsed Lux. The ads created instant controversy with marketers discussing whether
the brand has suddenly become MALE.Paul Newman also has endorsed Lux soap which
shows that Lux makes such stunts to excite the market. Whatever be the controversy,
the brand again succeeded in creating excitement in the market. Some argue that HLL
was testing a new positioning to appeal to male users while others say that it was a one
time endorsement to break the clutter. For marking the 75th year Lux came out with a
celebration range endorsed by Kareena Kapoor . The Celebration range too created news
because of its variant :Chocolate Seduction. These innovative products created lot of
excitement that ensured that Lux remained in the top of mind of the consumers.
Another variant which I like personally is the Lux with Orchid which looked cool in
terms of packaging and looks.
Over these years, the positioning of Lux also evolved. Earlier the brand used the
positioning " Beauty soap of Film stars" . But as the customer evolved, the positioning
lost its charm because customers began to doubt whether the film stars actually used
this brand. Taking a cue from the customers, Lux changed the positioning appealing to
the need for becoming a star. The new positioning is communicated with the tagline "
Bring out the star in you".Although worldwide the brand is being endorsed by film stars,
the actual package usually contains picture of international models and not film stars.

While Lux beauty soap is sticking to the age old positioning, Lux international has
moved from being a soap brand to a skin care brand. Lux International has the tagline "
Not Just Soap, Its Skin Care". Under the Lux umbrella brand, HLL has introduced
variety of personal wash products like body shampoo,hair shampoo etc.
Lux is the classic example of HLL's marketing genius. The brand will experiment and
explore more in the days to come....