Marketing Case Study: The Liril Girl
CASE STUDY: THE LIRIL GIRL
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The icon who had held her stead for an astonishing 30 years is the Liril girl. Shrinking attention spans and shifting trends notwithstanding, she continues to epitomize exuberant freshness. The ubiquitous waterfall has morphed into a glacier. The signature tune Laa la la la laa has been tweaked to Uff yu maa. Why, its not even the customary lime-green anymore. Variants like Icy Cool and Orange Fresh have brought in new hues. But the effervescence of the Liril girls – from Karen Lunell to the current nymph, Dipika Padukone – is comfortingly familiar.
It was in 1975 that Hindustan Lever Limited added a twist of lime to soapsuds, and created Liril, the first ever “lime freshness soap”. Research, meanwhile, had thrown up a startling insight that the only time the Indian housewife got to herself was when she closed her bathroom door. That’s when she daydreamed about escaping a humdrum life.
“The creative rendition of that insight was a girl bathing in a waterfall” , says Alyque Padamsee, ad pundit and creator of the Liril girl phenomenon. But then came the tricky part – getting the right waterfall and the right girl! “Some couldn’t keep their eyes open under the waterfall. Others didn’t exude the right energy. Yet others had qualms about donning a bikini.” Then entered Karen Lunell. With permission from her employers, Air India, the crew flew to Kodaikanal. That’s where they had found a waterfall, which was perfect in every way.
When the ad was released, the audience was bowled over. The blithe water sprite, the dancing waterfall, the catchy refrain – everything was new and thrilling. The Liril girl became the metaphor for freshness and at a deeper level, for freedom from the mundane. It struck a winning chord with the Indian woman and Liril zoomed to the top of the premium soap segment.
Karen’s romp in icy waterfalls continued for close to 10 years. Says Kailash, “With each film, we experimented with new techniques like
[pic]
The icon who had held her stead for an astonishing 30 years is the Liril girl. Shrinking attention spans and shifting trends notwithstanding, she continues to epitomize exuberant freshness. The ubiquitous waterfall has morphed into a glacier. The signature tune Laa la la la laa has been tweaked to Uff yu maa. Why, its not even the customary lime-green anymore. Variants like Icy Cool and Orange Fresh have brought in new hues. But the effervescence of the Liril girls – from Karen Lunell to the current nymph, Dipika Padukone – is comfortingly familiar.
It was in 1975 that Hindustan Lever Limited added a twist of lime to soapsuds, and created Liril, the first ever “lime freshness soap”. Research, meanwhile, had thrown up a startling insight that the only time the Indian housewife got to herself was when she closed her bathroom door. That’s when she daydreamed about escaping a humdrum life.
“The creative rendition of that insight was a girl bathing in a waterfall” , says Alyque Padamsee, ad pundit and creator of the Liril girl phenomenon. But then came the tricky part – getting the right waterfall and the right girl! “Some couldn’t keep their eyes open under the waterfall. Others didn’t exude the right energy. Yet others had qualms about donning a bikini.” Then entered Karen Lunell. With permission from her employers, Air India, the crew flew to Kodaikanal. That’s where they had found a waterfall, which was perfect in every way.
When the ad was released, the audience was bowled over. The blithe water sprite, the dancing waterfall, the catchy refrain – everything was new and thrilling. The Liril girl became the metaphor for freshness and at a deeper level, for freedom from the mundane. It struck a winning chord with the Indian woman and Liril zoomed to the top of the premium soap segment.
Karen’s romp in icy waterfalls continued for close to 10 years. Says Kailash, “With each film, we experimented with new techniques like