Lux (soap)
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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]
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[edit] History
Lux toilet soap was introduced as a bathroom soap in 1925, 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"[2]
[edit] Celebrity endorsements
[edit] Hollywood
Since the 1930s, many well-known Hollywood actresses have marketed the soap to women as a beauty enhancer. Advertisements have featured Dorothy Lamour[3], Joan Crawford[4], Judy Garland, Cheryl Ladd, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Taylor, Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Marilyn Monroe, among others. In fact, Hollywood actor Paul Newman also appeared in the Lux advertisement
[edit] Bollywood
Today, the brand is still heavily advertised in India using Bollywood stars.[2] Madhubala, 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[5].The first male to star in a Lux advertisement was Hollywood actor Paul Newman
[edit] 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 was paid ₦20 million to appear 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.
[edit] 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 [6]and the Life and Love of Dr. Susan[7], 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.
[edit] References
- ^ Emergence of Advertising in America: Lux Advertisements (Lever Bros.). Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
- ^ Bijoor, Harish. The sex of a brand. The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
- ^ 1938 Lux Soap: Dorothy Lamour. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
- ^ Joan Crawford 1929 Lux ad. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
- ^ http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2005/09/29/stories/2005092900160300.htm
- ^ Cecil B. Demille @ Classic Move Favorites - Lux Radio Theater
- ^ Life and Love of Dr. Susan. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
