Mysore Sandal Soap turns 100; a walk down ad-lane

From simple black-and-white print ads to colourful, glamorous looking TVCs, the brand has come a long way on the advertising circuit as well.

Mysore Sandal Soap, the iconic brand from Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), completed 100 years this month. The journey began in 1916 in Mysore with the establishment of the government sandalwood oil factory by the then Maharaja of Mysore Nalwadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar and Diwan, Sir M Visvesvaraya. It was two years later, in 1918, that the golden soap bar hit the market for the first time.

In 2006, The Geographical Indications Registry granted the Geographical Indications Certificate to Mysore Sandal Soap, along with Mysore sandalwood oil and Kasuti embroidery. While the brand has largely been driven by its heritage, it was also fairly active on the advertising front. The communication evolved from the promise of a fair complexion, to perfumed freshness, and later, radiant skin.

Sensing competition, it gradually adopted a more aggressive tone. A 2011 ad claimed that Mysore Sandal Soap is the purest of all, while the rest are 'artificial'. It was probably hinting at Wipro's soap brand Santoor, as the visuals suggest.

KSDL also rolled out a brand film which talked about the fragrance that the firm's different products brought to successive generations in a family. Over the years, it got on board cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and model and actor Mugdha Godse as endorsers to make Mysore Sandal Soap more appealing to the younger lot. In fact, as can be seen in one of the old print ads (a testimonial of a 16-year-old girl), teenagers were always an important target segment for the brand.

The association with Dhoni, however, soured as the company alleged that he defaulted on his "commercial commitments". As per The Hindu, "the endorsement deal was signed in 2006 for a period of two years, and cost the company around Rs 80 lakh. According to KSDL officials, although Dhoni agreed to give them 10 days to shoot the commercials, he managed to spare only three". A five-year-long legal battle ensued, in which, the Karnataka High Court ruled in favour of the cricketer.

However, regardless of this and various other such problems like sandalwood shortage, KSDL has managed to keep its flagship brand thriving. Mysore Sandal Soap has created a niche for itself, particularly in the southern market. It is available in 17 grams, 75 grams, 125 grams, and 150 grams (in a pack of three). Some product variants include Mysore Sandal Classic, Mysore Sandal Gold, and Mysore Sandal Baby.

In 2012, KSDL also launched Mysore Sandal Millennium Soap, touted as the most expensive soap ever. It was priced at Rs 720 for a 150 gram soap cake. The company also manufactures several other products including coconut oil, talcum powder, body wash, and hand wash.