The Hindu Business Line : Coup Lux Khan

CELEBRATING 75 years of the Lux brand, Hindustan Lever has decided to break away from tradition. It has changed the feminine face of its second largest selling soap brand to show reigning superstar Shah Rukh Khan sitting in a tub of petals along with actresses of yesteryear who have already featured as Lux models. Increasing competition and lack of innovation in the soaps category has led the FMCG biggie to try out something `new,' which, hopefully, will change the fortunes of the languishing brand. After intense brainstorming by the company's brand team and JWT, the ad agency for Lux, Shah Rukh Khan was seen as the right connect.

Explaining the reasons for choosing the superstar who has already had much exposure endorsing a host of other brands, Ashok Venkatramani, Vice-President (Skin), HLL, says, "Shah Rukh is a big draw and women just love him. Putting the two together, we thought we could reach our consumers with the new campaign." JWT expresses a similar view. "The target audience for Lux is women. Shah Rukh is a great favourite with women of all ages. So the strategy for Lux has not really changed. It is just the execution that is very different; instead of a female star in the tub, we have Shah Rukh," claims Nandita Chalam, Associate Vice-President & Senior Creative Director, JWT.

The new campaign featuring King Khan shows him immersed in a bath tub with petals and talking about `his beauty secrets' (`Meri Sundarta Ka Raaz'). The beauty soap of female stars has moved from traditionally using reigning film stars and now has been endorsed by nearly 50 Indian film stars.

In its 75th year, Lux wanted to do something really different and an `out-of-the-box' solution was needed to jolt the brand back to its glory. "We wanted to do something big and different and make a splash in the market," states Venkatramani.

It is not that the leading actresses of yesteryear are absent in its new communication either. There is one each from every decade till now standing next to Shah Rukh, who will continue to star for the brand. Hema Malini ('70s), Sridevi ('80s), Juhi Chawla ('90s) and Kareena Kapoor (today's star) will be also seen with Shah Rukh as he soaks in the tub.

And it's not about Shah Rukh the star but the kind of person that he is, is what the Lux brand hopes to integrate into its new campaign. "Instead of showing Shah Rukh as a macho man riding a horse like the Marlboro man, the idea was to portray the metrosexual male who had a soft touch. Shah Rukh has been portrayed as a different kind of male who is different from the rest of the stars. He is shown as a soft guy who is in touch with his emotions," states Venkatramani.

Ad industry veterans are divided and unsure about the effectiveness of this tactic. "This will certainly create a buzz as it's out of the normal formula - I'm really unable to judge if this will help the brand or not," says Sangeetha Shetty, Executive Vice-President, RK Swamy BBDO. On the other hand, Sanjai Srivastava, Vice-President, Lowe, is confident about the ad working for the brand. Says he, "In my opinion, Shah Rukh will make a difference. In fact, one can already get a sense from the cut-through that the ad may have achieved, or the `buzz' that it has created."

In fact, this is not the first time that a male model is endorsing Lux. In the past, Hollywood actor Paul Newman stood for the face of the brand. Adds Srivastava, "It is not without precedent. I believe if Paul Newman, the stud that he is ...(and the very antithesis of the leading lady endorser) can endorse the brand, SRK with his `metrosexual' appeal would be more than appropriate. As far as leading actresses are concerned, it is my view that unlike the enduring stars of yesteryear (Hema Malini and Sridevi, for instance) today there is no single larger-than-life female actress who can rightfully claim to be in the same `superstar' actress league as her predecessors. In this context, SRK has proved to be more than just a superstar; he is an enduring actor, which is closer to the kind of stature that a brand like Lux requires, especially in its 75th year."

Considering the superstar has already been on a roll in the ad world endorsing a trail of big brands, would the Lux campaign be able to stand apart from the rest that already feature the star? Apparently, research undertaken by JWT's planners thinks so. "As for Shah Rukh endorsing many other brands, well, in the Lux ad, King Khan is in the typical Lux tub full of petals and foam - an image that is so unmistakably Lux that it cannot be confused with any other brand," says JWT's Chalam.

But there are others in the ad fraternity who feel the ad could have had a story line and been made aesthetically more appealing. Observes K. V. Sridhar, National Creative Director, Leo Burnett, "There are product categories where both the sexes could be used for attracting consumers. As a strategy it could work since it is trying out something different. However, the ad is not tastefully done and it seems Shah Rukh with his clean-shaven chest is sharing a private joke with the actresses. The ad doesn't touch the audience and has been done for the sake of doing it."

Adds Prasoon Joshi, Regional Creative Director, Mc Cann Erickson, "The execution of the ad could have been slightly subdued. The ad has freshness and whoever has done it has been innovative. One should wait and watch to see the reaction of audience, whether they have liked the effort behind the ad."

Lux itself as a brand has been struggling to maintain its share in the highly competitive and cluttered soaps segment. Admits HLL's Venkatramani, "Lux has been stagnant for the past few years and the soaps category itself has been under pressure. Local competition and media fragmentation have not helped the brand either." However, Lux stands right behind Lifebuoy, with a 15.5 per cent value share as per AC Nielsen's retail data.

Besides, HLL is trying to build a host of events around the 75th year of the brand. For instance, it has launched `Har star Lucky Star,'a promotion where every consumer is expected to be a winner. All Lux wrappers will have a star printed inside them and the pictures of the stars on the pack and their worth will be inscribed on each star. "It's going to be a birthday party with a return gift," assures Venkatramani. In fact, HLL has decided to unleash a series of activities around Lux's 75th year to `thank' its consumers over the years. "In the next 6-8 months, we have planned a host of consumer activities to help celebrate the brand. The purpose is to thank each of our consumers," says Venkatramani.

Apart from the events and promotions, the new campaign with Shah Rukh is intended to help in reviving the heritage brand, which has always relied on film stars for its ads. "Lux is using SRK for ostensibly a special occasion of 75 years. And apparently it has used male stars in the past in international markets. So while it is a big departure, it is with a reason. And the ad is not claiming that SRK is using the brand. He is not shown using the soap. He is merely in a bath tub surrounded by the Lux stars. So it is a device to inject a bit of novelty and `buzz value' into an old brand," states M. G. Parameswaran, Executive Director, FCB Ulka.

HLL is testing out its new idea of using a male star and depending on whether or not the ad works, it will decide on the future course for the brand. For the moment, `Shah Rukh Hai Na.'

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