Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

75% women in India shy away from checking themselves for signs of breast cancer. Something about touching their breasts makes them uncomfortable. Lux, India's trusted beauty soap brand, wanted to find a way to encourage self-examination. So, it redesigned its product. ‘The Soap with a Lump’ alerts women when they are uninhibited: in the shower. ‘The Soap with a Lump’ in collaboration with the Indian Cancer Society was introduced to women through screening camps. It started a conversation about self-examination and is now being extended across India through ICS initiatives.

Background

Lux has been India’s trusted soap brand for 90 years. While it has always encouraged women to embrace their beauty, it also cares about their good health. Hence, Lux introduced, ‘The Soap with a Lump’, an ideal product innovation to raise awareness about a subject as pertinent as breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in India and accounts for over 25% of all cancers in women. However, early detection can increase the survival rate drastically. Unfortunately, in India, women face a lot of inhibitions when it comes to their bodies, particularly their breasts. Something about touching their breasts makes them feel uncomfortable and awkward. Hence, a lot of cases are left undetected until it is too late. In such a situation, our objective was to get more women to examine themselves regularly, without feeling uptight or self-conscious.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

In a society where it is socially frowned upon women to talk openly about their bodies or breast health, our objective was to get them to feel uninhibited about touching and examining themselves. We knew words and warnings wouldn’t be enough to do the job, so we did something more fundamental instead. We changed our product. The iconic Lux soap for the very first time was redesigned with a visible lump on it. ‘The Soap with a Lump’ is a purposeful product innovation that elevates both form and function. In the privacy of their bathroom, when women are alone and uninhibited, the soap encourages them to check their breasts for any lumps or deformities. The lump on the soap does not disintegrate with use until the very end, serving as a daily reminder for self-examination. A soap that keeps you clean and beautiful, can also help save your life.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

To ensure that women checked themselves regularly, Lux used the sense of touch, and the shape of its product to initiate self-examination. ‘The Soap with a Lump’ was designed to be placed in the most intimate setting of the shower, where every woman can inspect herself without hesitation. Lux, in collaboration with the Indian Cancer Society, introduced ‘The Soap with a Lump’ through screening camps in Maharashtra. Along with the soaps, we distributed flyers containing information about self-examination and early detection, as well as a helpline number to ICS. Additionally, we put up posters at the camps about the importance of checking yourself. Introducing the soaps at screening camps allowed us to interact with women who were open to the idea of learning more about self-examination.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

In a society where women hesitate to talk about their bodies, we did something fundamental to raise awareness about breast cancer. We changed our product to have a visible lump on it. ‘The Soap with a Lump’ acts as a daily reminder for women to check themselves when they are alone and uninhibited: in the shower. The bars of soap were distributed through screening camps organized by Indian Cancer Society in Maharashtra. Along with ‘The Soap with a Lump’, we also distributed informative flyers in different languages that would help spread awareness about early detection. The flyer came with a helpline number that women could call in case they had any questions or wanted to get in touch with a medical professional. At the camps, we also put up posters that spoke about the issue and the importance of checking yourself regularly.

List the results (30% of vote)

‘The Soap with a Lump’ in collaboration with the Indian Cancer Society (ICS) was never meant to be used for retail. So, the campaign didn’t have a direct impact on the brand’s revenue or sales. It was first distributed to women through ICS screening camps in Maharashtra. The campaign is now being extended across India and will be distributed through awareness camps, in leading hospitals, and through ICS community programs. Within 24 hours of its launch, ‘The Soap with a Lump’ garnered 86,687 impressions with a global reach of 9.4 million on social media. It caught the attention of international media, global marketeers, and several online publications. Within a month, the Indian Cancer Society helpline saw a 27% increase in enquiries about breast awareness and health from women. ‘The Soap with a Lump’ has also inspired many global marketeers to reach out to Lux for possible future collaborations.

Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work

Lux has been India’s trusted soap brand for 90 years. While it has always encouraged women to embrace their beauty, it also cares about their physical well-being. Hence, it was only a matter of time before Lux did something to raise awareness for one of the biggest health concerns affecting Indian women today: breast cancer. In fact, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and accounts for over 25% of all cancers. However, early detection can increase the survival rate drastically. Unfortunately, 75% women shy away from checking themselves. So, Lux decided to raise awareness about breast health and early detection, and get more women to examine themselves regularly.