Lux

Lux (soap) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

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....