Former cricketer Mithali Raj latest celeb to inspect toilets for Harpic

Imagine your toilet is so stained and yellow that former Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj had to drop whatever she was doing and visit your home to initiate a ‘Toilet Review System’.

Why? To let you and the world know, Harpic is a better alternative to detergent for your toilet’s cleanliness.

As hilarious as the above paragraphs read, they are the plot of Reckitt-owned Harpic toilet cleaner’s latest 20-second ad.

A celebrity visiting the houses of aam janta to inspect their toilet’s cleanliness is the staple of Harpic advertising for the past two decades. The most famous of these inspectors is actor Akshay Kumar, others include television actors and hosts Hussain and Vishal; many households once hoped to find Hussain ringing their doorbell wearing the Harpic cap. 

What is most noteworthy about the new Harpic Toilet Cleaner ad is to see a female celebrity endorser, perhaps for the first time. Seeing a female cricketer during the Indian Premier League (IPL) makes sense because the male cricketers appear in multiple ads during this time leaving viewers confused and often apathetic as to who is endorsing what.

Raj stands out during this cricket period. Also, the main ad is 20 seconds long and there is a six-second cut as well; micro-length ads are in-vouge during the IPL period.

Also, this ad does not target rival toilet cleaners like HUL’s Domex or Dabur’s Sanifresh but takes a shot at detergents.

A month ago, an ad from the toiler cleaner brand took on impersonators that offer cheaper alternatives while impersonating Harpic in their packaging and design with the help of Kumar who’s been the face of the brand since 2018.

And a couple of months ago, Kumar, in another Harpic ad, put his career on the line after wagering that there is no better toiler cleaner than it. He lost only to find the winner was a new variant of Harpic.

The Mithali Raj ad endorses the Harpic Power Plus variant which comes in six SKUs and three scents: Original, Orange, and Rose. It retails at ostores and on Amazon, Flipkart, and Big Basket. Adding to this, Harpic lists six more toilet cleaning products on its India website. In addition to cleaning, it sells eight products that it claims will keep your toilet fresh and scented.

It is also one of the broadcast sponsors on Star Sports for the ongoing Indian Premier League.