Product & Brand Management

Lifebuoy in India: Product Life Cycle Strategies

1. How Did Lifebuoy Master the Plc in Terms of BLC (Brand Life Cycle)?

This case study examines how Lifebuoy extended the brand's life cycle.
This case may be utilised to:
➢ Comprehend the notion of product in product and brand life cycles;
➢ Analyse various stages of Lifebuoy's life cycle during the twentieth century; and
➢ Comprehend how brand rejuvenation techniques assisted in prolonging Lifebuoy's life cycle.

Despite the fact that the brand has been around for more than 110 years, it still has a significant customer
following in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry. According to an annual study
conducted by Economic Times, the brand scored 9th in the 'Brand Equity Most Trusted Brands of 2008'.
Lifebuoy was in difficulty in 1999, when it began losing top-line growth at a pace of 15%–20% per year.
Its brand management ideas explain how brands may be given new life and have longer life cycles
without sacrificing quality.
When it started off, Lifebuoy’s Branding Campaign was mainly male centric. The legendary Lifebuoy
campaign, which included an immediately recognisable jingle” Tandurusti ki Raksha karta hai Lifebuoy”
and pictures of macho guys sweating it out on a sports field, had outlived its usefulness. Both the
commercial and brand positioning were remnants of a period when males made the majority of
purchasing choices. Monopoly was challenged in the soap bar manufacturing sectors due to an increase in
the number of rivals. As people's income levels increased, they preferred more costly soaps. In 1999-
2000, the services industry grew at a rapid pace of 10.5 percent, compared to 7.1 percent in 1993-94. As
customers wanted more advantages from soap, sales of Lifebuoy's carbolic soap began to fall in rural
areas. Growth has dropped from 69 percent in 1992 to 45 percent in 1996. The market share of lifebuoy
began to diminish at the turn of the century. In 2000, Lifebuoy's slight increase of 4.5 percent resulted in a
PLC decrease.
However, after a period of time in 2002 they noticed, women begun to play a larger part in purchasing,
especially in rural regions, and they couldn't connect to a platform of masculine cleanliness. The family's
well-being had become a major concern.
Apart from that, tandurusti (or health) as previously described by Lifebuoy was rather indefinite due to
people's inability to comprehend the brand's precise influence. "Germ prevention was a part of the brand's
DNA somehow." As a result, Lifebuoy reimagined the brand's health axis. Hence they switched from
marketing males to females, and from 'this makes you fit' to 'this keeps you from becoming sick.'
The essence of the product and concept remained same, but everything else was changed to bring it up to
date." Most significantly, the new concept was well received by the public. A commercial on a mother's
ability to save her child from being ill was far more popular than one about a bunch of jocks winning yet
another football game.
On the value axis, changes were also made. Lifebuoy evolved from a low-cost carbolic soap to a
vegetable soap with significantly superior aesthetics and scent, but at a greater cost
The brand's transformation has acquired it a slew of supporters in the marketing world. Moving from
young adult males to housewives, as well as from useful to aesthetic packaging, is part of the change.
"One thing they never changed was their health. It allowed them to play around with the variables."

2. What Are the Takeaways from The Case in Terms of Managing the Product & Brand in A
Particular?
 This case clarifies the distinction between a product and a brand. It also allows for the investigation of a
product's behaviour at various phases of its life cycle. The present competitive marketing climate in the
new century is driving managers to re-evaluate the shifting possibilities and risks in a developing global
marketing landscape. Since its conception in the early 1950s, the notion of product life cycle (PLC) has
acquired substantial attention as a tool for effective marketing strategy in analysing product behaviour on
sales, earnings, the 4P's of marketing, and customer acceptance.
During much of the second half of the twentieth century, the brand saw protracted periods of development
and maturity before entering a decline phase in the early twenty-first century, with sales declining at a
pace of 15% -20% per year. Due to the declining sales of Lifebuoy carbolic soap, Hindustan Lever Ltd
decided to discontinue the product category in 2002 and relaunch the brand with smart marketing
methods that maximised the brand's image.
This indicates that the life cycle of a product has reached maturity. The majority of consumer goods are
nearing the end of their useful lives, and their clients are largely repeat customers rather than new ones.
Customers' lifestyles change as they earn more money, and their product preferences alter as well. Here,
firms like Lifebuoy must recognise the importance of bringing something to market that will keep their
customers engaged and in the race. If brands and their products do not evolve, they will eventually fade
away. The crux is that you must change as a brand and your products in response to your customers.

3. Which Recent Extensions Have Contributed to Lifebuoy's Success in Growing the Brand?

For a long time, lifebuoy has been synonymous with a large, crimson, chunky bar of soap that keeps one
healthy. The heritage brand, which has been operating for more than a century (the first container of
Lifebuoy soaps arrived on Indian beaches in 1895 at Bombay Harbour), was formerly marketed as the
soap for all things masculine and athletic. It has now evolved into a household name.
'If you use Lifebuoy, you will be healthy' to 'If you use Lifebuoy, you will not become ill.' The look of the
soap was also altered. The red bar is still there, but it's now more scented and less carbolic.

 One of their fastest growing categories is hand wash, which is an extension of the main brand for
example, Lifebuoy Total, Lifebuoy Care, Lifebuoy Nature and Lifebuoy Active fresh.
 Another is hand sanitiser, namely Lifebuoy Total, Lifebuoy Care, Lifebuoy Nature and Lifebuoy Active fresh.
 They also have wide range of variety in body wash namely, Lifebuoy Total Protect, Lifebuoy Medicare, Lifebuoy
Nature pure, Lifebuoy Active fresh, Lifebuoy Vitaprotect and Lifebuoy Moisture plus, Anti-bacterial etc.
 Men's Body Washes from Lifebuoy are designed to eliminate excess oil and sweat while also preventing odour
and other germ-related concerns. Deodorizing and moisturising products are two of the most important for men's
skin.
 Also post pandemic their Germ Kill spray and Wet Wipes Germ protection has seen a market share.

Thank You
Submitted by – Dwarika Prasad Choudhury
Registration no.- FMS-MBA-2020-22-098