Lux unveils new brand purpose, kicks off marketing blitz at Oscars

Lux, one of Unilever’s largest beauty and personal care brands has announced a new brand purpose - "Inspiring women to defy judgements and to dare to express their femininity unapologetically". The brand which has often been associated with celebrities since its creation in 1925 said that the new positioning is based on the insight that the more effort women put into looking beautiful, the more they tend to be judged. To find out the root cause of this judgement, the brand dug deeper and found that, in particular, the creative and entertainment industries have an important role to play in shaping judgements on women. “We are all influenced from a young age by the lyrics of the songs we listen to or by the movies we watch. The way women are portrayed in these songs or movies ends up influencing how we and society at large think women should look or behave. This is one of the tension points where judgements are coming from. To tackle this, we wanted to look specifically at the way women are portrayed in the entertainment industry and commit to recognising and supporting women who rise above judgement and challenge the stereotypes,” said Anne Radmacher, global brand VP, Lux – Unilever. In a statement to Marketing, a spokesperson said the brand has evolved at different periods in various markets to stay relevant to the local target audience, but did not comment on the overall number of times the brand underwent a repositioning. “In the past five years, this is the first time that Lux is officially launching its new brand purpose globally,” she added. She said that since 1925, Lux has been bringing the best of beauty – and the pleasure that comes with it – to every woman in the world.  The campaign has been running in Asia since 25 February 2019. Lux's media agency Mindshare also worked with E! on a regional partnership to drive real-time content and conversations celebrating women who defy judgements. The brand, in a press statement, said that in recent years, the red carpet has become a platform for female celebrities to advocate social change and inspire female empowerment and equality. Tapping into this, media agency Mindshare developed a strategic partnership between Lux and E! to gain access to red carpet moments as they happen at international award shows to create real-time content. The partnership was kicked off at this year’s Oscars with the campaign #LuxDefyingJudgements where a digital hub was set up to capture conversations live from the red carpet. These were then developed into “#LuxDefyingJudgements Moments” – a series of content and editorial stories that own the moment by capturing and celebrating women defying judgements about their femininity during the Oscars. A particularly significant #LuxDefyingJudgements moment was defined when celebrities Elsie Fisher, Melissa McCarthy, Diane Warren, Awkwafina and Billy Porter, stepped into the spotlight as they expressed their femininity unapologetically and shattered gender norms. Their fashion statement met with rave reviews from the audience and critics alike, igniting conversations with a question that inspires women to defy judgement – Who said only men can wear the pants? “We are thrilled to be partnering with E! to celebrate women who defy judgement and to have the opportunity to initiate meaningful positive change among women all over the world through the content and conversations that we are creating.” said Lucius Young, global digital & PR Lead, Lux – Unilever. “E! is the ultimate destination for Red Carpet coverage and we are incredibly honoured to be partnering with Lux and Mindshare in empowering women to challenge the status quo and redefine stereotypes,” commented Christine Fellowes Managing Director, NBCUniversal International Networks, Asia Pacific. “Filled with memorable moments seen through the lens of celebrity and pop culture, E! is a leading multi-platform content brand that allows our partners to tell their stories and create meaningful conversations in real-time.”