Case study: Liril goes back to the original waterfall girl
The latest campaign, conceptualized by Lowe Lintas, is a throwback to the iconic waterfall ad created by Alyque Padamsee forty years ago. The new ad proves that that a great idea has no expiry date
Case study: Liril goes back to the original waterfall girl
The latest campaign, conceptualized by Lowe Lintas, is a throwback to the iconic waterfall ad created by Alyque Padamsee forty years ago. The new ad proves that that a great idea has no expiry date
Saanjh Gupta | Delhi | July 20, 2015
Click on the image to watch TVC.
Unusual as it is to hear of waterfalls named after soaps, it is worth noting that the Pambar Falls in Kodaikanal are now touted as the Liril Falls, reflecting the popularity of the Liril soap advertisements filmed there in 1975. The iconic advertisement created by Alyque Padamsee and featuring model Karen Lunel has served as the mold for 30 years' worth of Liril campaigns. This month Hindustan Unilever has launched the latest Liril TVC, created by Lowe Lintas, on social media as a precursor to the main commercial which is set to follow. It is a throwback to the original waterfall ad. The uncannily similar ad with the famous jingle has Brazilian model Annabel Costa DaSilva as the new waterfall girl.
At first glance, the characteristics of the advertisements, created by Lowe Lintas across decades, are strikingly similar: all feature swimwear-clad models bathing in waterfalls and showers, and culminate in the appearance of the lime-green, lemon-scented Liril soap. A further hallmark is the minimalistic jingle used as background music: created by Vanraj Bhatia for the original, variations on the track have consistently been used as background music to the commercials.
Although surreal in content, the accessibility of the advertisements is crucial to understanding its success. The waterfalls are almost an extension of the everyday shower, and intentionally so. Research conducted by Padamsee and his team prior to creating the 1975 advertisement indicated that the average Indian housewife's daily shower was an outlet by which they escaped from household chores. The sheer freedom portrayed in the advertisement through the Liril girl's unrestrictive clothing combated housewives' everyday banalities, and was contrasted further with competing soap advertisements pushing forth the process of socially conditioned self-improvement through fairer and clearer skin; Liril's advertisements presented a sense of contentedness in comparison.
Over time, plots were added to the ads, such as in one 1997 version opening with a bored Preity Zinta at the piano. Clothing grew less provocative, with a 1993 ad featuring Pooja Batra in shorts and a shirt rather than the original swimsuit. The 2000 advertisement was accompanied by a cautionary warning to users against attempting the advertisement's snorkeling stunts at home, contradicting the accessible essence of the original TVC. Perhaps the farthest departure involved the use of male actors in one TVC, who nodded approvingly at the effect of Liril on the female model. Liril's plummeting market shares, according to certain market reports, had plummeted to a low of 2%, reflected public discontent at these variations on the original mold.
In an attempt to regain Liril's momentum, the soap was relaunched as Liril 2000 in 2005, a name said to reflect the 2,000 ways in which families could interact, and the numerous points on the body, which Liril could cleanse. The relaunch marked a shift in audience from the individual woman to a cosmopolitan family.
Liril's latest commercial, however, is a nod to its iconic predecessor with an almost identical model-in-waterfall scene. What the new TVC will do to the soap's market share only time will tell, but its nostalgic value is certain to hit a peak. Forty years on, the lilting background music and the magic of a bikini clad, fresh face bathing in the waterfall might just pull it off for the brand once again.
An HUL spokesperson, explaining the strategic reason for going back to the original ad of the mid-70s, said, “Even after all these years, when we say Liril, people from all walks of life fondly recall the waterfall, the girl, her spontaneity and energy. They hum the jingle then and there. And these are the roots of Liril. They don't change. And what we're doing is paying homage to the Liril that we all know, bringing alive the very same elements that have been part of our popular culture through time. The campaign is a modern rendition of the original ad and is designed to remind and get Liril into the hearts and homes of the consumer.”
The spokesperson added, “The secret to creating new advertising on long existing brands is to stay true to the core elements of what the brand is made of. What people remember even after many years is the original promise – the character, visual appeal, colour and sound. Preferences and formats might change, but the core attributes of any brand stay in the minds of consumers. And relaunching such brands is essentially about going back to its roots.”
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