The Surf Excel Saga: Brand Par Excellence??

Having clocked more than Rs 8,200 crore in annual sales last year, HUL's popular detergent brand #SurfExcel has become the first Indian home and personal care brand to cross the coveted $1 billion annual sale mark. This feat is the outcome of HUL’s dogged ‘premiumization’ focus.

Surf Excel is currently at the peak of its success, but the journey to stardom has not been without hiccups. The initial going following its R&D-driven launch sixty years ago was a smooth sail until Ahmedabad-based player posed a serious challenge with its product offering ‘Nirma’, launched at a whopping 75 percent discount to the Surf Excel price. Consequently, #Nirma became the most popular brand of the 80s, and HUL was forced to launch ‘#Wheel’ in the low-priced segment, thereby relegating Surf Excel to the background.

• To make matters worse, rival brands like #Ariel and #Ghadi emerged on the scene and ate into its market share
• However, true to its popular slogan ‘#daagacchehai’, (implying that dirt stains on clothes ensuing from any playful or joyous endeavour ought to be celebrated before they are removed) Surf excel emerged stronger over time on the wings of a focused “premiumisation” effort that convinced consumers of the worth of higher-priced products even amid mounting inflation
• Coupled with astute marketing and disruptive innovation, Surf Excel scaled new highs culminating into the USD 1 billion sales milestone

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