Both, ostensibly, to celebrate '75 years of Lux'. And beyond the column-inches these activities may generate, neither is going to do anything for the brand in the long run.
The Lux strategy was especially confused and confusing. The brand is being stretched across the entire customer spectrum. So there's a soap cake being sold for 13 bucks and a White Spa body wash costing Rs 70.
A new 'chocolate seduction' soap.
A 'sandalwood + honey' variant.
A purple 'Aromatic Glow' variant.
The idea appeared to be: ek hi teer se saare competitors ko maar do. But that usually doesn't work.
A single brand can't be a Lux AND a Palmolive Aromatherapy AND a Santoor AND in liquid form, an economical alternative to Bath & Body Works.
And this was especially applicable if the brand reworked only its image and not the formulation.
No seduction here
Yes, I actually bought the Lux chocolate soap. My verdict: Melody may be chocolatey, Lux still isn't.
The shape, look and feel was very nice but the soap SMELLED like any old regular Lux soap. So you never feel seduced by the 'chocolate' element.
Fragrance is in my opinion far more integral to a soap's appeal than how it looks. And for those who think that a chocolate smell in soap is unappealing - think again!
Try any foreign cocoa butter lotion. Or if you are in Bangalore's Garuda mall check out the shop on the first floor which sells 'hand made' bath products.
The delicious smell wafts into your nose while you're on the floor above! Everything in that shop is absolutely fascinating. The chocolate soap is chopped off for you from a cake-like brick. Looks good enough to eat...
The only sad bit is the company is from the UK and insists on charging UK prices. An 800 rupee soap was a bit much - even in the name of indulgence. You feel like the soap would have to be guarded and sparingly used. And what if it melts in the soap dish and turns into mush?
I don't understand how they managed to take a topless woman, slather her in chocolate, and somehow get a result that just isn't sexy.
These ad campaigns probably bring about the early birds who would like to try anything new... But in the long run, Lux will need to stick to its USP: Delivering the middle-class housewife a soap that would make her feel like an on-screen diva! Remember, Lux is a Sitaron ka Saabun!!!
Well Lux has a simple positioning - Filmi sitoron ka saundrya sabun. The beauty soap of Film stars. The entire strategy is probably to give this positioning a lively new feel.
Their target is less "people like you and me" but more an average typical Indian housewife. They are found in large numbers in India - who live by dreaming themselves in the clothes, makeups and styles of film stars. They gossip about them. They love to try things that these film stars suggest.
SRK - was & is an error - I am sure that's why that ad suddenly became "gayab" - because it did not go with the aspirations of the traditional housewife in India.
Was Kareena & Chocolate also an error - probably yes!! becasue the whole theme seemed to be targetted at a younger audience - less to the taste of the typical housewives.
However, coming from an HUL one wishes thay had done the research they are known for. If thats the case - may be the face of the typical Indian housewife might have undergone a transformation before we took notice.
Well tried HUL. May you succeed.
Ha, you can see how hard I had to work to convince myself it wasn't worth buying. Now that is what I call chocolate seduction.
Eat your heart out, Kareena!
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