Hindustan Lever Limited announces the launch of Surf Excel Win With Stains

Company release, November 10, 2004

New Delhi

Hindustan Lever Limited, announces the launch of SURF EXCEL Win With Stains - a unique consumer promotion as it not only offers consumers a chance to win prizes but also gives them a chance to pursue further studies.

Under the Win With Stains consumer promotion every consumer who purchases a large pack of Surf Excel Quickwash (500gm and 1kg) or Surf Excel Blue (500gm, 700gm and 1kg) will get a stained cloth. On washing the cloth the consumer will get a chance to win a grand prize of Rs. 5 Lakh scholarship or a Zenith Personal Computer or runs of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. On collecting 12 runs the consumer would be entitled to receive an Oxford Dictionary worth Rs. 325. The promotion will be on till 15 January 2005.

As part of the promotion, Surf Excel has organized several school contact programmes across the city to educate the children about the promotion and how to win the Rs. 5 lakh scholarship. Through this promotion the brand will touch over 1000 schools across the country.

Besides ground level promotoions, the company has launched an ad campaign called Surf Excel Win with Stains Dhoyega Toh Jeetega.

Following the success of Dhoondte Rahe Jaoge, another unique campaign from the Surf Excel stable called Win with Stains - Dhoyega toh Jeetega.

The new surf excel campaign shows a kid running on the street holding aloft a piece of white cloth with an ink-coloured circle in the middle. He generates a lot of curiosity among passer-bys. Eventually, he washes the cloth and the ink-coloured circle disappears like a stain to reveal the written prize from Surf Excel - A scholarship worth Rs 5 lakh

Promotions for brands are more often than not tactical weapons. A gift is offered to the customer to gain short term patronage or to engineer enhanced consumption. The choice of the gifts is usually governed by what can be bought cheap rather than any brand related factors. Surf Excel promotion offers a scholarship as the prize - which is nothing unusual.

However, the real masterstroke is in the design of the promotion. No cards to scratch here to find out what prize you have won. A stain is used, instead, as a mask. The stain has to be removed to know what the prize is. This helps the brand to cleverly build underscore the core promise of Surf Excel - which is stain removal. The same rupee is working tactically as well as strategically. Its an extremely rare and intelligent use of the brands marketing budget.

The other thing that is striking about Surf Excel campaign is the vehicle used. Its being aired through the India Australia Test series. However, even thought cricket doesnt address the main target audience which is women, the explanation is as follows:

The main prize on offer in the Surf Excel promotion is a Rs. 5 Lakh scholarship. Naturally, the visual depiction in the ad is student focussed - there are no mothers or daughters to be seen in the ad. Most of the people in the ad are in their teens. The protagonist himself is barely in his teens. Cricket matches are their favourite events and so we think its the best vehicle to convey our message.

Given the new phenomenon emerging where the mother is not the only one who determines the kind of products to be bought into the house its become more of a collective exercise. Surf Excel has been sensitive enough to recognize this change in consumer choice dynamics. In this promotion, it is pampering influencers - trying to win the peripheral votes. Which we believe makes eminent electoral sense towards buy a new product.

The on ongoing success of this exciting campaign, Mr. Sudhir Sitapati, Surf Excel team, Hindustan Lever Limited said, Win With Stains is one of the largest consumer promotion undertaken by Surf Excel. We believe that stains are an integral part of kids learning and growing up. Through this School Contact Programme, we want more and more people to experience the fact that stains are good and that you can, in fact, win with stains.

For further information, please contact:

Piyali Dasgupta,

Perfect Relations

Tel: 24314440

9810408481