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nter Lifebuoy, the
tandurusti soap
marketed by HLL.
Hindustan Lever
Limited is Indias largest
FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer
Goods) company with brands
spread across 20 different
consumer categories, 40,000
employees, inclusive of about
1,425 managers, a behemoth in the
Consumer Household Products
sphere. Very, very impressive, to
say the least.
% *H=@ 5JHO &
EBA>KO
- Manish Samtani
-
HLL is the countrys largest
marketer of soaps, detergents, and
home care products. Some of the
brands that lead the HLL pack are
Lifebuoy, Lux, Liril, Hamam,
Breeze, Dove, Surf Excel, Surf, Rin,
Wheel, 501, Sunlight, Vim, and
Domex.
Lifebuoy, the worlds largest
selling soap brand, came into
existence in 1895, and was
launched in India in 1935. It has
been an essential part of the daily
Indian bathing experience for
millions across
the nation.
Brand
History
The HLL
s p o k e s ma n
sums it all up in
his words,
Lifebuoy is
Indias oldest
personal wash brand. It has been
around since 1895. It has always
stood for health and hygiene,
delivered through germ
protection. The ruby red colour
soap, with its distinct odour, has
carried the Lifebuoy message of
health across the length and
breadth of the country, making it
the largest selling soap brand, not
only in India, but anywhere in the
world. The name Lifebuoy is
supposed to convey the promise of
a healthy family, and not just an
individual.
Brand Positioning and Brand
Building
Originally, Lifebuoy was a
down market brand, but in recent
times, HLL has made efforts to
position it as more of an upscale
product. HLL has positioned
Lifebuoy as a pan-Indian brand,
targeted at every Indian family,
urban or rural, rich or poor. It aims
at bringing alive Lifebuoys
promise of family health in an
enjoyable and compelling manner.
Chimes the HLL spokesman
enthusiastically, We strive to
build the Lifebuoy brand through
mass media advertising, direct
consumer contact, and trade
activation.
HLL repositioned the Lifebuoy
brand in 2002, in an attempt to
make it more relevant to both new
and existing customers.
After this revamp, Lifebuoy is
no longer just a carbolic soap with
cresylic perfume. It is now being
As the son of an army officer, I could not think of life without Lifebuoy soap,
the only one available in cantonment area shops. Among the things I remember
fondly are those times when I used to return after a football match in the rain,
soiled from head to toe and drawing the most contemptuous glances from all
occupants of the drawing room, as I was loudly instructed to take off my
shoes before stepping in. I looked forward to a nice warm bath with Lifebuoy,
which my mother believed would disinfect me completely. The advertisement
added a swell to my chest since it was portrayed as a soap used by champions
and really able-bodied young men, I wanted to grow into. Tandurusti kee
raksha karta hai Lifebuoy; Lifebuoy hai jahan, tandurusti hai
waha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!still rings a familiar nostalgia and brings back a whiff of
the fragrance of old times.

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% *H=@ 5JHO &
positioned as a toilet soap. The new
formulation, launched in 2002,
contains Active-B, which protects
users against germ infections. The
current Lifebuoy formulation
offers a superior bathing
experience.
Lifebuoy has also re-
established its message of health
for consumers, from the
traditional, male, victorious
concept of health to a more
responsible concept of health for
the entire family. Thus a
stereotype that glorifies good
health for the head of the family
(a male), and possibly the other
working members of the family
(again, invariably males), has been
done away with, indeed replaced
by a more democratic concept of
a healthy family.
The Brand Derby has rated
Lifebuoy as one of the most
successful brand re-launches of all
time.
As the HLL spokesman points
out, After the re-launch,
Lifebuoys market share in the bath
soaps sector rose from 12% to
18%.
In 2003, HLL took a major
pricing initiative, by making
Lifebuoy available at the bargain
basement price of 2 rupees at the
retail level. This pricing strategy is
targeted at the rural market, where
buyers are extremely price-
sensitive.
In 2004, Lifebuoy saw another
re-launch, whereby it was given a
new curved shape, a change from
the more than 100-year-old brick
shape. The health soap now had
an easy grip and a modern look.
HLL demonstrated, with the
aid of laboratory tests, that the
new Lifebuoy was twice as good
as other soaps in terms of
providing germ protection.
Lifebuoy now provided
protection from germs that cause
body odour, acne and infections
in cuts and bruises.
HLL currently provides
Lifebuoy consumers with four
choices - Lifebuoy Strong,
Lifebuoy Fresh, Lifebuoy Gold and
Lifebuoy Naturals all different
variants of Lifebuoy. All these
variants are available in the new
curved shape and have the new
formulation.
Marketing Strategies
Lifebuoy has always been
marketed as a tough cleaning
soap for a tough man. (Of course,
the 2002 re-launch targeted
Lifebuoy as a soap that brought
good health to the entire family).
Lifebuoy has been seen as a value-
for-money product, a soap that is
long-lasting.
In a very smart TV ad
campaign, children are shown
cleaning a street. The message put
across is that since these children
are secure from ailments that are
caused by a lack of proper
sanitation and hygiene, thanks to
the fact that they use Lifebuoy,
they are in a position to ensure
cleanliness and hygiene for the
entire community. Thus, Lifebuoy
not only ensures good health and
cleanliness for individuals, but
healthy and productive
communities as well.
The Lifebuoy Swasthya
Chetana programme uses a
direct consumer contact
methodology, and touches the
lives of 70 million people in 18,000
villages. A unique feature of this
campaign is that it utilises
multiple contacts, as opposed to
other programmes which are

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single contact in nature.
Gushes the HLL spokesman,
This programme aims to educate
people about the benefits of hand-
wash with soap, and how hand-
wash can help kill invisible,
disease causing germs. It is thus a
marketing programme with a
strong social cause of improving
the health and hygiene of rural
India. The brand USP is, Lifebuoy
provides 100% better protection
from germs as compared to
ordinary soaps.
Growth of the Brand in the
face of Competition
In the mid to late 1990s,
Lifebuoy was reeling under the
onslaught of the discount soaps,
which were luring consumers by
offering soaps with modern forms
and good sensorial experience at
affordable prices. Consumers saw
Lifebuoy as an outdated offering
vis--vis discount soaps. The two
re-launches in 2002 and 2004
enabled Lifebuoy to reverse this
trend and reinvent itself.
Adds the HLL spokesman, The
two re-launches have dramatically
altered the fortunes of the brand,
% *H=@ 5JHO &
which is on a high growth
trajectory today. We have come a
long way from a ruby red carbolic
soap to a range of contemporary
offerings. Our vision statement is:
Make a billion Indians feel safe
and secure by meeting their health
and hygiene needs.
Brand Positioning for the
Future
For the future, HLL intends to
position Lifebuoy as a family
health offering through germ
protection.
We will strive to make our
promise enjoyable and compelling,
to build authority and affinity for
the brand, states the HLL
spokesman proudly.
Advertising Media-Mix
In addition to its TV campaign,
HLL also uses other methods and
media, such as direct consumer
contact, radio, statics, and point-of-
sale, in order to reach consumers
who do not have access to a
television set. The Lifebuoy
account is currently being handled
by the ad agency Lowe.
In the Lifebuoy ad by Lowe, a
school-going kid is shown, who,
on a holiday, decides to clean up
the garbage-strewn streets of his
neighbourhood. He wakes up
from bed, wears his spectacles,
fetches a broom, and ties a piece
of cloth around his forehead. He
then starts cleaning the streets,
dumping the garbage into a
cardboard box. He sets an
example, as other children in the
neighbourhood soon join him. A
lady in the neighbourhood
expresses her concern for the well
being and hygiene of the
children, and another lady, a
confident mother, reassures her
with the words, Koi Dar Nahi.
This concerted effort by the
children transforms the dirty
neighbourhood into a spanking
clean area. Now, to express their
gratitude, all the parents give
their children an open-air bath
with. . yep, you
guessed it right..Lifebuoy.
The line Koi Dar Nahi implies
that a well-protected family has
no reason to fear hygiene related
illnesses or problems.
Concludes the HLL spokesman,
Even for the TV-viewing
consumer, in todays cluttered
world, we do feel the need to bring
our brand alive to consumers in
multiple ways at multiple touch
points, to remain visible.
In conclusion, Lifebuoy seems
right on target to make a clean
sweep of the Indian soap
market!