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The detergent brand from the HUL stable highlights the importance of sharing and altruism.
Among the many skills and qualities that make us ready for life, generosity and compassion are the two virtues that make our lives worthwhile, says Hindustan Unilever's detergent brand Surf Excel in a new tear-jerking digital ad. Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, the ad is an extension of the 'Daag Acche Hain' or 'Dirt is Good' global theme.
According to Joono Simon, CEO and chief creative officer, Brave New World, 'Dirt is Good' has been one of the longest-running and successful campaigns for Surf Excel, and he agrees that digging up more 'dirt' for the brand with time must be a challenging task for the agency.
"Dirt as a mark of sacrifice or as the inner goodness of heart is still a fertile space and has a timeless appeal. But, a child's world is a lot more complex today than what it used to be. Issues such as gadget addiction, over-parenting, coping with working parents, and the excesses that guilty parents shower kids with, are all real-world issues that are there for the brand on which to have serious points of view, and make itself (the brand) meaningful and relevant both for the parent, as well as the child," says Simon.
Simon hopes that a "respected brand" like Surf would make an attempt to play a more substantial role as opposed to going back to the same football field of clichés.
Commenting on the execution, he says, "It looks really laboured and one can see the film crawling on its fours, possibly with the dead weight of all the researches and link tests on its shoulders. The lead boy has his 'surf-ish' charm intact, but again, wish they could go beyond the stereotypes and pick a more relatable pan-Indian face."
According to Deepak Singh, chief creative officer, the Social Street, Surf Excel has done a commendable job. "The proposition has been woven in brilliantly keeping the Indian emotional quotient in mind. It's a nice take which gets the point across, while also strengthening the brand connect in the consumer's mind," he says.
"It's an emotional and beautifully written script, in terms of the idea. It left me with a nice feeling. The story is fresh and adds a new dimension to the way Surf Excel has been advertising in the past," he adds, commenting on the execution.