The Dulux Dog will be seen in UK's TV screens once again after two decades. The beautiful Old English Sheepdog first appeared in a Dulux paint commercial in 1961 but since 1996 the dogs were no longer used in any of the communication. However, the popular brand mascot will be seen now as it will celebrate 50 years of the brand.
Interesting thing is that ICI Dulux and the Sheepdog have a strong connection. The viewers fell in love with the cuddly long haired breed. It was one of the most popular mascots ever used by any company.
The first ever Dulux dog was called 'Shepton Dash' and till this day it is a commonly used nickname for Old English Sheepdogs. The dog was shown in the commercial as the smart one who helped people solve their decorating dilemmas by opting for ICI Dulux.
Many dogs appeared in Dulux ads over till 1996. All of them looked similar and were always from a closely related line of pedigree dogs. Except for the first dog - Shepton Dash, all the other Dulux dogs were breed champions. Five of them had even won 'Best in Show' prizes.
Most people are quite glad to hear the news of the Dulux Dogs comeback. Marketers and analysts feel that the dog has contributed significantly to the company's success. They say this dog breed is synonymous with ICI Dulux. The dog made the commodity in to a successful brand for households and appealed to both adults and kids alike.
In fact, lots of people said they completely associate the brand and the dog as one even after all these years so the dog's identity was quite strongly built in the past. The British said the Dulux dog represented UK values of being faithful, trustworthy and honest - this I don't know. I am sure the dogs must be faithful, trustworthy and honest...I give the dogs that credit.
Though a beautiful dog breed, keeping these dogs is a tough job. They need lots of care. One of the dogs that appeared in the show used to take a good half an hour to take a bath and it took 4 hours to blow dry and set his hair. So, just because they look amazing doesn't mean it is that easy to keep them as pets.
I worked on the brand for a short while. Of course, the dog was nowhere in the picture then. In fact, the ads used here were quite local and functional most of the times. I love the Dulux dog though and I am sure in UK and elsewhere it would prove to be quite positive for the brand once again.
