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Surf Excel is India's first detergent powder. Hindustan Unilever Limited pioneered Surf as an NSD (non-soapy detergent) powder made from petrochemicals, in 1957. It hit the shelves in 1959 as an alternative for housewives' indiscriminate usage of bar soap. Originally known as Surf, the brand is now synonymous with the word ‘detergent powder’ throughout the country.
It was designed for housewives and targeted the country's middle-income group, which accounts for the majority of the continent's population.
Surf powder was more effective, but it necessitated a new habit: soaking clothes. This was before the arrival of the washing machine, and Indians were afraid to soak their clothes in water to clean them. Indians bathed by scrubbing and pouring water on themselves, never using a tub. Although the majority of Indians recognised the benefits of an NSD powder, they continued to utilise the soap bar.
HUL launched a large door-to-door campaign to persuade sceptics that solution washing with the NSD product yielded considerably better results and required no scrubbing. Even a decent quality soap bar took a while to lather with the hard water coming out of their taps, so this was a significant improvement for the housewives.
Mark your calendars for UNILEVER DIARIES LIVE: 27 September 2021. Exciting live interactions, leadership talks, a thrilling look behind HUL's iconic brands, and fun surprises coming your way soon!
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Surf Excel ruled the monopolistic stage until the 1990s. It was only after 30 years on the subcontinent that competitors began to raise their voices. With the advent of Nirma in 1969, India saw a detergent war, and Lalita ji was created. Surf excel's Lalita Ji stood for value for money and became a household name as a response to Nirma's low prices. Standing strong against the competition – Surf Excel's Lalitaji cultivated the definition of 'sasti aur achi cheez' for consumers. Surf not only made history in India as the first detergent powder, but it was also the first detergent brand to appear on a television screen.
In 1991, another detergent competitor, P&G's Ariel, joined the market at a higher price point. Surf responded to this by going through many brand communication changes until 1996 when they launched Surf Excel to capture new markets.
Surf Excel, a market leader in India's detergent industry, has consistently developed and released new product forms to meet the evolving demands of Indian customers. It delivers exceptional cleaning on a wide range of stains, as well as a variety of solutions suitable for bucket and machine washing. It comes in many sizes, making it accessible to consumers of different economic levels.
Mark your calendars for UNILEVER DIARIES LIVE: 27 September 2021. Exciting live interactions, leadership talks, a thrilling look behind HUL's iconic brands, and fun surprises coming your way soon!
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With the launch of new products, advertisements have also evolved over the years. While there have been several additions to Surf Excel's brand campaigns; the one that changed the direction of Surf Excel's brand journey was the campaign 'Daag Acche hai' from 2005.
'Dirt is good' also fits the statement's irony - as a contradiction in a category that emphasizes cleanliness and whiteness.
Surf excel believes that dirt and experiences are the keys to unlocking human potential, and encourages parents to let their children learn through experience while Surf excel takes care of the dirt and stains.
Nearly a decade-old campaign, it reinstates the power of powerful storytelling and has completely reinvented advertising in a me-too category.
Mark your calendars for UNILEVER DIARIES LIVE: 27 September 2021. Exciting live interactions, leadership talks, a thrilling look behind HUL's iconic brands, and fun surprises coming your way soon!
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Today, Surf Excel is more than a 5000 Cr brand and accounts for roughly 14% of the company's net revenue and 45% of its laundry segment sales. Surf Excel has only been in the retail industry for 60 years, but it is giving all of its competitors a run for their money. While there may be near imitations of Surf Excel, no other product can match Surf Excel's vast distribution network and its ability to tickle Indian consumers' sentiments with innovative advertising.
Recently, Surf Excel announced the inclusion of 100% biodegradable actives in its formulation, as well as recyclable bottles manufactured from 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic. With time, the brand grew, and so did its plastic impact. HUL collaborated with Banyan Nation to design and produce bottles that are less reliant on virgin plastic, lowering the amount of net plastic generated and living up to the organization's clean future ideals.
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In this part, let us look at the evolution of the brand that convinced us that ‘Agar daag lagne se kuch accha hota hai, toh #DaagAcheHain.’ With its unique positioning, Surf Excel has revolutionised the detergent industry.
From the beginning, Surf Excel focused on television ads One after another, it telecasted important messages to build the category. Here are a few of the most successful strategies it employed to attain such great success:
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As new products have been launched, its advertising has evolved. The brand again came up with a new campaign, which elicits powerful nostalgia to this day: “Daag Dhoondhte Reh Jaaoge”. The brand adopted the tagline “Jaise Bhi Daag Ho… Surf Excel Hai Na!” as the next step, which demonstrated the trust that its customers had in it.
The company subsequently launched a campaign called "Do Bucket Pani ab Rojhana hi Bachana'' designed to promote the Quickwash product.
This campaign was notable for its competence in method adoption as well as the simplicity with which it was used by householders.Mark your calendars for UNILEVER DIARIES LIVE: 27 September 2021. Exciting live interactions, leadership talks, a thrilling look behind HUL's iconic brands, and fun surprises coming your way soon!
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In it, a kid is shown fighting in a pool of dirty water in order to make his sister happy after she fell in it and soiled her school clothes. The commercial was and continues to be a big hit. Both awareness and sales shot up after the launch of this campaign.
In India, the ad was successful because it portrayed the enemy 'daag,' as good, since Surf Excel can quickly remove them, they don’t appear as scary. Other companies, on the other hand, spoke about 'safedi' (whiteness) and cleanliness. Economic Times named this among the top ten campaigns of the 2000-10 decade. It is also included in 44 of India's most iconic advertisements.
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With many modifications in TV advertisements till 2017, this idea stood out from the others. Great advertising is a competitive advantage because it is a secret sauce for success that only a few can perfect.
This advertisement helped the company acquire a high level of awareness among the target audience, and it was followed by additional ads with similar themes throughout time. Surf Excel was able to identify itself as a consequence of the campaign's consistency and originality, leading insignificant brand growth.
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The brand's renowned slogan has been updated to fit the current era with “Ab daag ghar par rahenge”, while also expressing hope for the future.
Right from Lalitaji saying “Bhaisaheb” and “Surf ki kharidari mein hi samajhdari hai“ to “Dhoondte reh jaoge” to today’s “Daag achhe hain” - it is commendable for a brand to stay fresh in the minds of the consumers for so many decades.
Mark your calendars for UNILEVER DIARIES LIVE: 27 September 2021. Exciting live interactions, leadership talks, a thrilling look behind HUL's iconic brands, and fun surprises coming your way soon!
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Q) Can you take us through a day in the life of a UFLP Management Trainee?
It’s schooling all over again. You’re surrounded by the best minds in the country and try to take in as much as you can.
The best thing about being a UFLP is that you can have zero apprehensions about approaching peopleand can have all your questions answered.
This aside, there is a lot of empowerment and the project that you work on. The responsibility that comes with this is also a great learning curve.
Q) How was your Brand stint during UFLP? What were your key takeaways from the project?
I worked on two projects across a 6-month stint – one was launching a Lifebuoy premia kit with WB. Creating the mix and applying what we learnt in B-school practically was one, but working on developing premia on Batman and
Superman were super exciting. The most satisfying part was seeing the product you worked on launching in the market by the end of the stint. I learnt the art of execution.
Q) UFLP is a much sought-after program among B-school graduates. Tell us about how the program has changed you?
I’ve definitely become a lot more organized. Understanding what to prioritize is key and this is something that I’ve learnt over time.Also, the importance of understanding my bandwidth and saying no, wherever you feel you will not be able to give a 100%.
If you could talk to your younger self, an MBA student from a few years ago, what advice would you give?
Would have probably asked him to be a lot more observant of the people around him and his surroundings since there is so much to learn from this.
What is your favourite memory from your UFLP year and why?
One was definitely working on brands that I’ve grown up using/watching ads of and being a part of an important juncture in the brand lifecycle.
The sales stint, albeit in a different environment because of the pandemic, was also an eye-opener. It gave me a different perspective on ground reality and how heterogeneous this country is.
Mark your calendars for UNILEVER DIARIES LIVE: 27 September 2021. Exciting live interactions, leadership talks, a thrilling look behind HUL's iconic brands, and fun surprises coming your way soon!
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