Surf Excel

The product

"Agar daag lagne se kuchh achha hota hai to daag achhe hain."

The above-mentioned tagline could actually prove to be fatal to a detergent brand, but in India, you tap the human emotions. And that is exactly what Hindustan Unilever has managed to do so well. The tagline, when translated to the Victorian Language, roughly says, "If something good happens when your clothes get spoiled, then dirt is good," has managed to connect with the Indian customer in an amazing manner.

Now, off to the technicalities, 'Surf Excel' is an Indian detergent brand that was launched in the country in 1959, under the brand name: 'Surf'. It was officially the first detergent powder supplied to the Indian market, as before its launch, the only way to wash clothes here was through the soap bars, which was tedious and time-consuming. The supposed 'powder' experiment worked wonders since 'Surf Excel' dominates the Indian premium detergent end market today.

Value to the customer

The primary reason why 'Surf' was launched in India more than 5 centuries ago was that washing clothes with the help of soaps was a cumbersome process, to say the least. On top of that, the time taken to do it was exponentially higher than washing with powder takes. So, there was an invisible need in the market that was tapped by Unilever; and it reaped benefits in a big manner.

According to Unliever, the 'key to success' is, "To build customer value, satisfaction and hardcore loyalty with the brand." So, the 'customer value' was not taken for granted in the organisation.

'Surf Excel' is marketed in almost all shapes and sizes to suffice the needs of a wide strata of society. It is packaged as follows:

1. Surf Excel Blue Detergent Powder (4kg): Rs. 450
2. Surf Excel Blue Detergent Powder (1.5kg): Rs. 198
3. Surf Excel Blue Detergent Powder (750g): Rs. 96
4. Surf Excel Blue Detergent Powder (500g): Rs. 80
5. Surf Excel Quick Wash Detergent Powder (2kg): Rs. 335
6. Surf Excel Quick Wash Detergent Powder (1kg): Rs. 168
7. Surf Excel Quick Wash Detergent Powder (500g): Rs. 85
8. Surf Excel Quick Wash Detergent Powder (13g): Rs. 2
9. Surf Excel Matic Front Load (2kg): Rs. 399
10. Surf Excel Matic Front Load (1kg): Rs. 216
11. Surf Excel Matic Front Load (500g): Rs. 108
12. Surf Excel Matic Top Load (2kg): Rs. 360
13. Surf Excel Matic Top Load (1kg): Rs. 180
14. Surf Excel Matic Top Load (500g): Rs. 100
15. Surf Excel Detergent Bar (200*4g): Rs. 85
16. Surf Excel Detergent Bar (250g): Rs. 25
17. Surf Excel Detergent Bar (200g): Rs. 10
18. Surf Excel Gentle Wash Liquid (800ml): Rs. 180

Since 'Surf Excel' comes in so many variants, there is something in store for everybody in all strata of society, barring, of course, the lower class, since they still prefer washing their clothes with the traditional soap bars. The product provides an amazing customer value to its customers, as the cost price to the company is pretty close to what it eventually sells the final product for. Eg.: According to the company's member-files, the net CP to produce a 1kg 'Surf Excel Quick Wash' detergent powder amounts to be worth around Rs. 160, and they sell it for Rs. 168 as the retail price. 'Surf Excel', ultimately, delivers what it promises: value for money and 'supreme whiteness'.

Buyer Decision Process

HUL is a unique company, and hence it markets its products in the same manner. The reason why they boast of such a strong hold in the Indian detergent market is because they have caught the consumers' pulse through their adverts and the quality of their products. The way 'Surf Excel' has built an emotional connect with the people is commendable, and can be used as a quintessential example in marketing textbooks on how a brand retains its customer.

We'll look at the five stages of the Buyer Decision  Process that will help us understand why 'Surf Excel' is so popular:

1. Need/Problem Recognition: The basic need is of course to wash clothes with minimal effort, and a washing powder is a wonderful substitute for the traditional bar which is very convenient.

2. Information Search: This is after the buyer is done with the first stage, and according to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy, the second step is only possible if and only if the buyer is done with the first step. The cycle continues. Here, the buyer looks up the information on the focal product before buying it, on different media. It can be print, visual or voice media. This is exactly where 'Surf Excel's' unique campaigns work.

3. Evaluation of alternatives: If the consumer is inquisitve, he'll look around a lot more, he'll do a considerable research on what to buy and why to buy. This stage depends a lot on the consumer's attitude, and of course the perception of the product. If he thinks that 'Surf Excel' is the best for his clothes, he'll go for it blind-folded; but if he thinks that there might be other good products in the same price category, he'll go on a recce.

4. Purchase Decision: This is when the consumer finally decides to buy the product in question, and the only way why he will decide against buying the product is dependent on two factors: a negative feedback from other customers, and the level of motivation while complying or accepting the feedback. Only if a trusted neighbour tells you that 'Surf Excel' is not worth it, then you would not make the final purchase even if you had made up your mind to do so.

5. Post-purchase Behaviour: This is a very important stage in a product's endeavour to retain the customer. The customer has a lot of expectations when he makes the purchase, and if the product doesn't live up to those, the manufacturing company will be at a loss, since it will lose a potential customer. Brand loyalty is a concept that kicks in during the stage. Hence, the companies should be extremely cautious in their customer-care cells. If a housewife likes how 'Surf Excel' helped her wash the clothes well and in minimal time, then only would she buy it again. She could switch to 'Ariel' the next time, otherwise.

Understanding Consumers & Consumption

'Surf Excel' was launched with a promise of 'superlative whiteness' with a lot less efforts. This was way back in the 1960s when the product was trying to gain a foothold in the Indian market, or rather trying to instill a habit of washing clothes using detergent powder in the Indians. Before this, the tedious soap bars were used for the chore. The TV adverts claimed to give the whitest white if washed with 'Surf' powder; co-incidentally, it was the first washing powder to advertise on TV.

The people were led into believing that they would be using a superior product in the form of 'Surf', which would actually make their clothes shine like never before. And moreover, getting rid of the age-old soap bars was also a sufficient reason to opt for powder.

Consumers have become harder nuts to crack lately, so a brand needs to market its product very intelligently nowadays. They do not get enticed by the random lame advertisement on the idiot box anymore. HUL has been extremely innovative with their advertising approach for 'Surf Excel' ever since they came out with the product in 1959. Now, we'll jot down their advertising campaigns through the years to justify why they have been able to enjoy a huge chunk of the market throughout.

1. 1970s: "Surf ki khareedari mein hi samajhdaari hai!"

Lalitaji became a household name in the '70s when she recommended the usage of 'Surf' on national television in one of the most inimitable adverts ever created. It found an instant connect with the Indians, and they thronged to buy the washing powder because the common middle-class married woman Lalitaji told them that "it was the most intelligent thing to do."
In the market of other lower-priced brands, HUL used this advertisement to assure its costumers that it is still the most economical way to wash their clothes.

2. 1990s: "Daag dhoondte reh jaaogey!"

When the amicable-looking Asawari Joshi told you that you wouldn't be able to find any stains in you clothes after washing them with 'Surf', you had to believe her. She said it in such a likable and yet persuasive manner that you were left with no choice but to trust her claims and give the washing powder a shot. Lalitaji passed on the mantle of responsibility to this confidently prudent homemaker, and she held onto the mantle with elan. 'Surf Ultra' was a super-hit amidst a host of other concentrates and mid-priced powders in the Indian market.


3. 1999: "Surf Excel hai na!"

This legendary phrase was coined in 1999, and it still echoes in our minds today; that is the power of a 'Surf' ad. Whenever your mother cribs about having to wash a lot of dirty clothes, you could sometimes hear your father quote jokingly, "Surf Excel hai na!"

4. 2003: "Do baalti paani rozaana hai bachaana!"

HUL got hold of Shabana Azmi, a full-time human rights activist now, to promote 'Surf Excel' as an environment-friendly product amidst all the hue and cry by the NGOs that the water resources are a depleting lot.

5. 2005: "Daag achhe hain."

A legendary campaign strategy, that instantly connected with the Indian audience. The 'Surf Excel' adverts took the advertising world by storm, by actually claiming that "stains are good". For a detergent product to quote such a thing could be considered blasphemous in a parallel world, but 'Surf Sxcel' did the exact opposite; their market shares plummeted.

It is through such innovative marketing strategies only that 'Surf' has been able to sustain a big chunk of the market share since long, against the wishes of many of its competitors, mainly P&G's 'Ariel'.

Most veteran marketing gurus still claim that there is not a sure-shot formula to understand what a consumer desires. But HUL has been pretty darn successful in predicting what goes on in a consumer's mind, if we go by the popularity of their advertisements, and the impact it has had on their increasing sales revenues.