ADVERTISING AND MARKETING STRATEGY

Despite its product modifications which shall be later mentioned, Lux has always marketed itself as a product used by the stars. A common refrain associated with such a promotional strategy says if it is good enough for the stars, it is good enough for me. Despite this, Lux was never an entirely elitist product, though it has not embedded itself within the rural consumer segment. ecause !arketing is all encompassing, it shall be examined first, followed by Advertising. !arketing covers the four main aspects, when it comes to any product that needs to be sold in a market, namely the" product mix, price mix, place mix and promotion mix. #he marketing mix of Lux shall be examined from the perspective of the four $s in marketing. Product mix" #he product mix refers to any and every feature related to the tangible commodity to be sold. #his part of marketing takes into consideration the ingredients that form a part of the product, the innovations%modifications done in the product, its external appearance, packaging, aroma, utility, colour, logo and the overall visual appeal%easy recall value it serves for its consumers. Lux has also taken the initiative to introduce product variants like" o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Lux almond. Lux orchid. Lux fruit. Lux saffron. Lux oil and honey glow. Lux sandalwood. Lux rose. Lux international. Lux chocolate. Lux aromatic extracts. Lux crystal shine. Lux purple lotus and cream. Lux peach and cream. Lux strawberry and cream.

Price mix" A sound pricing strategy induces a consumer to purchase a certain product. &t proves to be a worthy incentive. &n a country of wide economic disparities like &ndia, the price of the product takes precedence over the 'uality, for the less affluent. (hen Lux was launched in )*+*, the pricing was kept high so that the product could make up for its manufacturing cost. #he prices were later reduced in order to penetrate a greater market segment. As of now, the product pricing is competitive i.e. on par with those of the competitors.

Place mix" #he place mix refers to not ,ust the distribution channels of a product, but also the geographic location of its availability which greatly affects its accessibility. Lux was earlier sold only in ma,or cities at the time of its launch. $ost )*-.s, the distribution network continues to be expanded to include smaller towns.

Promotion mix" A hoarding on one of the more prominent locations in !umbai once said, /Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. 0ou know what youre doing, but she doesnt.1 And thus, promotion seeks to bridge the gap between ignorance and purchase. #he how and why behind the promotion goes a long way in brand building.

o As reiterated in this pro,ect, Lux was promoted as a product used by film stars. And thus, every ma,or actor has promoted the product. #he list included" Leela 2hitnis, !adhubala, 3argis, !eena 4umari, !ala 5inha, 5harmila #agore, (aheeda 6ehman, 5aira anu, 7ema !alini, 8eenat Aman, 9uhi 2hawla, #abu, !adhuri Dixit, 5ridevi, Aishwarya 6ai, 4areena 4apoor, $riyanka 2hopra, 4atrina 4aif, Asin and 4a,al Agarwal. o Although Lux was always advertised as a product meant for indulging the senses, where bathing was a wonderful ritual in itself, it petered down its approach in the recent years. #he actors are still shown seen indulging themselves. ut the focus also moves towards the ordinary girl in a bid to reach out to its female consumers. o A wonderful example of this promotion was the +..- !u,hme 5tar 9agaaye campaign featuring Aishwarya 6ai and 5hilpa Anand. #he campaign also promoted a !odel 7unt that went underway soon after. o &n +..), Lux had announced a ++:carat ;old 5tar offer, wherein a gold coin was hidden inside a bar of soap. #he lucky consumers who find the gold coin also have a chance to win an additional <. grams of gold. o &n +..=, Lux launched a Lux star bano, Aish karo contest where consumers were supposed to buy a promotional pack of Lux and scratch the special scratch card to earn their reward. $ri>es varied from living a day in Aishwarya 6ais life to beauty kits, 3eeta Lulla saris among a host of other gift vouchers and well? more Lux soaps to be won. o @n its completion of A- years in +..-, Lux roped in 5hah 6ukh 4han as its first ever male ambassador. #he advertisement featured the actor in a bathtub, flanked by his leading ladies B 9uhi 2hawla, 4areena 4apoor, 5ridevi and 7ema !alini. &t was known as the 7ar 5tar Lucky 5tar offer, where every wrapper guaranteed a gift, waiting to be unwrapped. o &n +..*, Aishwarya 6ai and Abhishek achchan featured in the new 5one 5e hi 5ona Lage campaign. #he campaign also conducted a Lux 5uper 5tar @ffer where the lucky winners get to meet Aishwarya:Abhishek in London. #he campaign ,ingle became so immensely popular that its varied renditions were used in the advertisements that featured 4atrina 4aif since +..*. o Asin #hottumkal and 4a,al Agarwal are the newest brand ambassadors of Lux, modelling together for the /4ya 4hoob 7o #um1 advertisement that has been recently released. o Lux also relies on market research for making innovative changes by going for door:to:door sampling of a product, once a year, in urban and rural areas. #he brand image is firmly and

favourably embedded in the psyche of the consumers. #he product is also not particularly expensive, which is said to be a winning combination. (eaknesses" #he weaknesses stated for Lux as a brand are as follows"

o #he product lacks unisex appeal. o &t has been unable to effectively tap the rural market. o Lux faces competition from brands like Lifebuoy, $ears, Civel, Diama Di (ills, 5antoor among others. 5ome commonly noted recommendations for Lux"

o &nnovations in terms of Ayurvedic variants are recommended. o A special offshoot of Lux meant for children, since it has essentially been targeted at a )E:<year age group. o #he consumer base in the rural area needs to be expanded upon. o #he product should appeal to men, without promoting it solely as a product for women. o #he product can be altered to appeal to the ageing segment of women who form a large segment of consumer base in the present product market and account for many billions of currency for anti:ageing products.

CONCLUSION
#he assignment is an educative exploration of one of the most iconic products that has entered the &ndian market. #he history of the Lux soap has been synonymous with women and beauty down the decades. #he brand, Lux has been identifiable with women of every generation since the times the product were launched through the media, evolving from the print to audio and visual through the decades. Drom the earlier sepia:toned photographs of beautiful heroines captured in the pages of womens maga>ines and 6eaders Digests to popular advertising in electronic and visual mediums, the brand Lux has pervaded the lives and times of every person. &t has successfully transcended the barriers of class and elitism and has occupied center:stage as a product appealing to women of all ages and classes. ;iven the present market share of the product as examined in the preceding text, Lux has more than a promising void to fulfill in the coming times. &ts continuity and popularity will sustain its consumer base in all coming times. Lux stands out as the soul product by way of a soap that has seen the dawn of two centuries, promising to run its length of continuity for many more to come.