A look at HUL’s vintage communication ideas
HUL brands Pears, Liril, Sunlight, Lifebouy and Lux have customised their look over the years but have remained true to the original brand proposition

Indian advertising had its roots in the bazaar cries of the country’s street vendors, which go back to the most ancient times. It is interesting today to see vintage ads that date back to the early twentieth century, especially of brands in the beauty care and detergent categories. It was Hindustan Unilever, then Lever, that brought in a range of products in the categories and aggressively used interesting marketing and advertising strategies.
Pears was the world’s first translucent soap. According to Unilever records, Pears Soap was the world’s first registered brand and is therefore the world’s oldest continuously existing brand. Launched in India in 1902, Pears exuberates a long heritage of purity. Pears used to be advertised as being appointment by the Emperor and Empress of India. But, then it began to use imagery based on Raja Ravi Verma’s paintings, who was the then most popular artist from South India.
One of the print advertisements released in early 1934 had the visual of a Ravi Verma-like model dressed up like the goddess Saraswati, seated on a lotus in a pond with a little mace in one hand and a baby in the other. The copy beneath this read ‘Pears Soap. Pure as the Lotus. Learn without sorrow, the eternal truth that youth is god-like and beauty is youth’.
Sunlight was the first product to be sold by Lever in India in 1888. It was first introduced in the market in the shape of a laundry cake. Since the shape did not favor the brand much, it was later re-launched in the form of a detergent which sold like hot cakes and gave tough competition to the other detergent brands in the Indian market. By the 1930s, it had like many other western brands, Indianised its communications, using images inspired by Indian mythology.
Starting life as royal disinfectant soap, Lever Brother’s Lifebuoy came to India with British wives. Hygiene education and a preventive approach to disease are part of the story of the familiar red soap. Undoubtedly singing the popular jingle, ‘Lifebuoy hai jahan tandrusti hai wahan’, continues to create an iconic image for Lifebouy even today. The models have changed but not the look, carefully art directed to be a part of the brand’s image.
Unilever in the course of time focused on promoting its beauty soap Lux. It was one the first brand that used the concept of famous women personalities as brand ambassador in its communication strategy. Movie stars have kept company with Lux soap for more than seventy years. In 1941, Leela Chitnis became the first Indian actress for Lux. Since then, Indian stars have endorsed Lux, a sign that they have arrived. In the early 2000s, movie stars gave way to real-life models with the line, ‘Lux brings out the star in you.’
A case in point is a study conducted by Hindustan Lever on the bathing habits of the Indian housewife. The study put focus on a new benefit for toilet soaps – the bathing experience in the early 90s. And Liril, the freshness soap, was born. One could call it the liberation soap because it made the woman feel liberated from the shackles of humdrum daily life. The key element in the Liril success story was the girl in the waterfall. The model in a bikini surprisingly didn’t raise eyebrows but instead gave birth to usage of boldness in advertising.
Pears, Liril, Sunlight, Nirma, Lifebouy and Lux have customised their look over the years but have followed the same brand proposition. This has helped these brands remain a household name even today.
The above insight is from the book Adkatha, The Story of Indian Advertising. Late Bal Mundkur, Founder of Ulka Advertising and Gerson da Cunha, Ex-Chief of Lintas and Communications Advisor to various Central Ministries, got together in late 2010 to put together the best of the best work from Indian advertising which was never seen or heard before. While Mundkur rose the necessary funding, Da Cunha took charge of the content. They roped in Anand Halve and Anita Sarkar to write the book. The result is a beautiful coffee table creation, lavishly illustrated – a mirror of the profession and business through the decades.
Put together by Priyanka Nair
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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