LUX is
a global brand developed by Unilever. The range of products includes beauty soaps, shower
gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and conditioners. Lux started as “Sunlight
Flakes” laundry
soap in 1899.
In
1925, it became the first mass-market toilet soap in the world. It is noted as
a brand that pioneered female celebrity endorsements.
As of
2009, Lux revenue was estimated at €1 billion, with market shares spread out to
more than 100 countries around the globe.
Today, Lux is the market leader in countries like India, Pakistan, Brazil, Thailand and South
Africa[1]
Origins and history
Lux Print ads - Early 20s
The brand was founded by the Lever Brothers in
1899 and now known as Unilever.[2] The
name changed from “Sunlight Flakes” to “Lux” in 1900, a Latin word for “light” and suggestive of
“luxury.”
Lux
toilet soap was launched in the United States in 1925 and in the United Kingdom
in 1928. Subsequently, Lux soap has been marketed in several forms, including
handwash, shower gel and cream bath soap.
Lux beginnings
Beginnings
Lux’s
early advertising campaigns aimed to educate users about its credentials as a
laundry product and appeared in magazines such as Ladies Home Journal. By the early 1920s, it was a hugely
successful brand and in 1924, the Lever Brothers conducted a contest that led
them to a very interesting finding: women were using Lux as pud soaps.
Lux Building beauty soap credentials
Building beauty soap credential
Introduced
in the United States in 1924, Lux became the world’s first mass market toilet
soap with the tagline “made as fine as French Soap”. In the first two years of
launch, Lux concentrated on building its beauty soap credentials.
Advertisements offered consumers “a beauty soap made in the French method” at
an affordable price, with the promise of smooth skin.
Made
with fine-texture, rich in fragrance, and manufactured using a method created
in France, the first Lux toilet soap was sold for 10 cents apiece.
1928–1940: 9 out of 10 stars
This era saw key launches of LUX in the UK, India,
Argentina and Thailand. The brand concentrated on building its association with
the increasingly popular movie world, focusing more on movie stars and their
roles rather than on the product. In 1929, advertising featured 26 of the
biggest female stars of the day, creating a huge impact among the movie-loving
target audience. This was followed by Hollywood directors talking about the importance of smooth
and youthful skin. This pioneered the trend of celebrity product endorsements.
In
1931, Lux launched a campaign with older stars, “I am over 31”. The series of
print ads had stars talking about preserving youthful skin. Lux also launched
campaigns featuring interviews with stars and close-ups of stars, bringing to
life the ‘9 out of 10’ idea.
40s & 50s: Romancing the consumer
Using
movie star as role models, Lux’s strategy was to build relevance by looking at
beauty through the consumer’s eyes. While still retaining the star element, the
focus shifted to the consumer and the role of the brand in her life.
Advertising commercials showed ordinary looking women
with direct references to leading ladies from the movies such as Deanna Durbin and Deborah Kerr.
Lux Romancing the brand
1960s: Romancing the brand
In the 1960s, advertising was shifted to product stories
and the romanticizing of brand through its “sensorial & emotional”
dimensions. This was the era of ‘the film star feeling’ and the ‘Golden Lux’,
featuring stars such as Sandra Dee, Diana Rigg andSamantha Eggar.
The
bathing ritual, the ‘fantasy’ element that has been the imagery of Lux, was
created in this era. The brand also moved forward with launching LUX in the
Middle East, entering a more conservative market.
1970s: Dimensionalizing beauty
Reflecting the shift in beauty trends in the 1970s, the
Lux stars stepped down from their pedestals and were portrayed as multi-faceted
women with natural, wholesome beauty that the ordinary consumer could relate
and aspire to. The executions were more of ‘a day in the life’ of the stars
with focus on their ‘natural beauty’. Stars included Brigitte Bardotand Natalie Wood.
1980s: Owning the category space
Establishing itself as the beauty
soap for stars and beautiful women, the 1980s emphasized the importance of skin
care – the first step to beauty. Lux was launched in China at this time. Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch and Cheryl Ladd were some famous celebrities used during this time.
In India, actresses such as Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, Madhuri Dixit, Rani Mukerji and Aishwarya Rai have endorsed Lux soap.
1990s – early 2000s: Advanced skin
benefits
In the 1990s, Lux moved from generic beauty benefits to
focus on specific benefits and transformation. More emphasis on functionality
and variant associations with different skin types as well as mention of
ingredients. The communication was far more regional specific and localized,
using in Brazil stars like Malu Mader and Debora Bloch.
This period launched product brand extensions Shower
Cream and Gels and Lux Super Rich Shampoo in Japan and China.
2000s: Beyond movie stars
In
early 2000, the focus shifted from specific skin benefits to a stronger
emotional space. The brand provided the link between the aspirational role
models and real life with the campaign, ‘Lux brings out the star in you’. The
benefit was now more than just beauty, it was also about the confidence that
comes from beautiful skin.
In
2005, Lux encouraged women to celebrate and indulge their femininity with the
“Play with Beauty” philosophy, with stars like Aishwarya Rai. The brand also
connected with consumers to take a more ‘active’ stance on beauty.
From
2008, building off the brand’s root strengths, focus has shifted to beauty (vs.
femininity), appealing to consumers’ fantasies and aspirations. Lux believes
that ‘beauty is a female instinct that shouldn’t be denied’ and showcases the
pleasure that every woman enjoys from using her beauty, encapsulating that idea
in a simple phrase: Declare your beauty.
Today,
Lux products are manufactured at 71 locations with more than 2000 suppliers and
associates providing the raw materials. It has key markets in the developing
countries like Brazil, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and South Africa, and is a
market leader in for soap bars in India, Pakistan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia,
Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam.