Dulux is an internationally available brand of
paintPaint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
. It is produced by AkzoNobel (formerly
Imperial Chemical IndustriesImperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
). The brand name Dulux has been used by both
ICIImperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
and
DuPontE. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
since 1931 and was one of the first
alkyd-basedAn alkyd is a polyester modified by the addition of fatty acids and other components. They are derived from polyols and a dicarboxylic acid or carboxylic acid anhydride. The term alkyd is a modification of the original name "alcid", reflecting the fact that they are derived from alcohol and...
paints.
History
In the early days of its existence, decorators and their suppliers were the main customers for Dulux, with
Say Dulux to your decorator used as an advertising slogan in the 1950s. By 1953, Dulux was available in the retail market and ten years later the famous
Old English SheepdogThe Old English Sheepdog is a large breed of dog which was developed in England from early herding types of dog. The Old English Sheepdog has very long fur covering the face and eyes...
was used in advertisements, to the point where "Dulux dog" has become a common nickname for the breed.
The name Dulux is derived from the words DuPont and Luxury.
The Let's Colour Project
In 2010, along side Dulux Valentine, Coral and Marshall, Dulux launched the
Let's Colour Project. A global movement which called communities around the world to paint grey public spaces with bright colours. The initiative first went to Brazil with a group of volunteers painting the Lapa Stairs in
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in March 2010. This was followed by the community painting event at the Virginia Primary School in Tower Hamlets. It then went to Purohiton Ki Haveli community square in
JodhpurJodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
. These painting events were filmed and captured in a tv commercial
'Dulux Walls' directed by
Adam BergAdam Berg is a Swedish music video-director and brother to Joakim Berg of the music group Kent. He has also directed a number of television and cinema commercials...
and documentaries on their
YouTube Channel. The colour movement has since travelled through France, China, Turkey, South Africa and the Netherlands, and continues colouring public spaces all over the globe. The project is captured on the
Let's Colour Project Blog which also acts as an interesting catalogue of all things colour.
Dulux dog
The Old English Sheepdog is the
brandThe American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
mascot for Dulux paint. The dog was first introduced in advertising campaigns in 1961. Since then they have been a constant and highly popular feature of Dulux television and print adverts wherever the paint is sold. So much so, that many people in those markets refer to the breed as a 'Dulux dog' rather than a Sheepdog.
Over the years, different dogs have appeared in the adverts. However, they all look very similar, partially as a result of most of them being selected from a closely related line of pedigree dogs. The first Dulux dog was
Shepton Dash, who held the role for eight years. His successor,
Fernville Lord Digby, was the most famous Dulux dog and also made his owner, Cynthia Harrison, famous. When filming advertisements, Digby was treated like a star, being driven to the studio in a
chauffeurA chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
driven car.
Barbara WoodhouseBarbara Kathleen Vera Woodhouse , was a well known British dog trainer, author and television personality. Her 1980 television series Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way made her into a household name in the UK...
was employed to train Digby and his three
stunt doubleA stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
s, who were used whenever specific tricks or actions needed to be filmed.
Gambit - another Dulux dog, was used in a photographic shoot in 1980 for Philips Video and its new generation of video recorders. By the time the shoot was finished there was enough hair to fill a mattress - the dog was constantly groomed during the shoot.
Apart from Dash, all the Dulux dogs have been breed champions, and five of them have won 'Best in Show' prizes.
Dulux in Australia and New Zealand
In Australia and New Zealand, Dulux has been involved with the manufacture and marketing of paint and related systems in since 1918, and is the largest manufacturer of paint products in Australia. Dulux Australia was a key player in the ICI Paints World Group, until in 1997 ICI PLC informed ICI Australia of its intention to sell its concern. This decision led ICI Australia to be renamed on February 2, 1998 to Orica Australia Limited. In
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Dulux was wholly owned by
OricaOrica is a multinational corporation that manufactures various chemical products. It is the largest supplier of mining explosives in the world. -History:...
until July 2010, when DuluxGroup was spun off as a separate company. Scottish band
Fairground AttractionFairground Attraction were a British acoustic pop band. They are best known for their hit single "Perfect", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist Eddi Reader.-Career:...
's song "
Perfect"Perfect" is the title to Fairground Attraction's first single, released in March 1988.The single reached number one on the 9 May 1988 UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for one week, and stayed in the chart for thirteen weeks. It also reached number one in South Africa as well as in Australia for...
" was used for an advertisement on TV.
The current TV advertisements feature the Dulux Dog and several hundred other Old English Sheepdogs racing around collecting cricket stumps, drum sticks, wooden spoons and sticks and other items to stir a newly opened pot of Dulux Wash and Wear. The music used is "I Woke Up Today" by American band
Port O'BrienPort O'Brien are an American musical group combining elements of acoustic, folk and indie rock.They are named after a bay in Alaska featuring a now-abandoned cannery on Kodiak Island where founder member Van Pierszalowski's parents met...
from the album "All We Could Do Was Sing".
Dulux Decorator Centre
In the UK, there is a chain of over 190 stores called the Dulux Decorator Centre.
External links
Duluxdecorator.co.uk