MYSORE

Sandal Soap
Logo

A Soap from 1916, Long before

India got its INDEPENDENCE
 coloured Mysore
sandal soap owes its
signature scent to
‘soap sastry’, one of
India's first
industrial chemists
who travelled to
England & USA to
World’s Purest make the soap.
Sandalwood Soap
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Scent with 100 years of History
• Idea Behind the Soap
Once the Maharaja of Mysore was
gifted a rare pack of soaps made
from sandalwood oil produced in
India. From this gift evolved the idea
of making sandalwood soaps.

The Government Soap Factory

(KSDL) was set up for the first time
in Bangalore by the King of Mysore,
Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV in 1916.

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World War 1 and Mysore Soap
• First World War Triggered The
Use Of Sandalwood Oil
Mysore always had excessive
reserves of sandalwood. But during
the First World War, it was not
possible to export it to Europe. This
triggered off the thought behind
setting up a factory for
manufacturing soap made from
sandalwood oil.

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Shastry – The Mastermind
Introduced USP for Mysore Sandal Soap in 1900’s !!!

1. Shape of the Soap ( From traditional square shape to oval )

2. Soap as a culture ( Packaging that reflects as a jewelry box )
3. Concept of Touchpoints
4. Connect people’s emotion with a product

Forget Apple’s concept of Product and Culture….. This was 1900’s,

Even Steve Jobs father was a young lad!
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Marketing Channels
Marketing and Advertisement way ahead of its time

1. Major Cities and Foreign Advertisement on Neon Boards

2. Utilizing National Daily newspaper for Mass advertisement
3. Advertise Beyond Boundaries
4. Product Promotion Exhibition held in London where Queen
Victoria Attended
Queen Victoria loved the scent product so much, that she bought the
soap for the royal family.
Even British manufactured tried to copy the product!!! Sworup Timilsina 6
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Targeting
• Target Group
SEC A1, A2, B1, B2

Focused Demographically on
Southern States of India

Target Age
30+ years of age*(*limited to sandal soap)

Prevalent for both Genders

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Way ahead of its time!
• Back when Soaps company were marketing their soap
as a hygiene product…. (Frame of Reference)

Product Unique Selling Point and

Product Differentiation
• Distinct Smell
• Impeccable Quality
• Fair Complexion
• Beauty
• Exclusivity

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 Focal Point

85% Sales Restricted To 3 South Indian

States

Even though Mysore Sandal Soap is available

all over India, its 85% sale is restricted only
to three South Indian states.
These include Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
and Tamil Nadu. Most of the users are above
the age of 40 years.

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Where does It stand now?
• Creating new products to
penetrate youth market

Carrying such rich history, Mysore

Sandal Soap is not so much popular
amongst youth.

To tackle this, they have introduced

Variety as a new Product
Differentiation!
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Challenges for Century old soap

• Availability of Sandalwood
• Price Challenge
• Competitive market (MNC’s introducing
Lux, Santoor, etc.)
• Segmenting young adults through their
consumption style
• Low revenue generation and Ad-budget
• Lux targeting the focal area of Mysore
Sandal Soap, i.e. Southern States

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Thank You
Sworup Timilsina
sworuptimilsina@gmail.com