India won the WC; Surf Excel may be the brand of the tournament

India may have lifted the Women’s Cricket World Cup, and Deepti Sharma took home the player of the tournament title, but Surf Excel quietly scored its own win off the field.

After Jemimah Rodrigues’ semi-final heroics against Australia, an image of her dirt-stained jersey went viral. Fans began tagging Surf Excel, urging the detergent brand to respond. The HUL-owned company did, and in style. It sent Rodrigues a playful gift: empty Surf Excel bottles along with a message asking her not to wash her jersey but to frame it.

Brilliance in a bottleWhen Jemimah Rodrigues’ jersey got covered in sweat and soil after that incredible win — most people saw dirt.
Surf Excel saw a story.
They sent her an empty bottle and a frame, with a simple note:
“Don’t clean it. Frame it.” @JemiRodrigues@cricketworldcuppic.twitter.com/ots0BldhTh

— Ashutosh (@ashumishra) November 2, 2025

It was a simple idea, executed with perfect timing. Players often frame jerseys from memorable matches, and stains are, quite literally, Surf Excel’s favourite subject. Since 2005, the brand’s Daag Acche Hain campaign, the Indian take on its global Dirt is Good philosophy, has celebrated dirt as a symbol of effort and emotion.

By turning a viral image into a brand-aligned story, Surf Excel showed why moment marketing works best when it feels organic rather than opportunistic. The brand even sent Rodrigues a frame for the jersey, completing the picture perfectly.