Brand Update : Rin and Surf Excel

2006 saw a unique marketing move from HLL. Rin Supreme bar is being migrated to Surf Excel. Although the decision is made in 2006 , the ads are being aired more frequently in 2007 ( I have only recently noticed this after one of my students pointed out this ).I was wondering why HLL is messing up their successful detergent brand like Rin?
Indian Detergent market is valued at around 5100 crore ($1.2 bn).Detergent bar market makes up for 43% of this market .HLL commands 38% of the fabric wash market.
The latest move comes in the wake of the high profile launch of Tide detergent bar. Tide and Ariel always created problems for Surf and Rin. The migration of Rin Supreme bar to Surf Excel bar is aimed at countering Tide.
While Rin is heavily positioned on th whiteness platform and Surf Excel on the Stain Removal platform, the new Surf Excel detergent bar is aimed to take both these attributes.The ad is already on air featuring kids conveying " Good News and Bad news" to their mothers.

It is true that the detergent bar market is important for HLL because in India, homemakers use a combination of bar,detergent and whiteners on their clothes. Hence any move from competitors should be seriously dealt with. But this migration initially did not make sense with me. Why spent money migrating brands? Does HLL gain by migrating Rin to Surf excel?

But I feel that the logic behind the migration is to protect Rin and its USP of whiteness .It is true that Rin supreme can counter Tide bar because both have whiteness positioning. Had HLL used Rin to counter any competition other than Tide, it will have to focus on the Whiteness Platform alone and any additional attribute may affect the parent Rin detergent powder brand. While having Surf Excel detergent bar will help HLL to counter competition not only from Tide but other competitors since Surf is known for its stain removal property. There will not be any dilution in the equity adding attribute of whiteness to Surf unlike Rin. My conclusion is Surf Excel has the ability to be a generalist than Rin.( MyView).
Is it good news or bad news?

source:businessline

Related Brands
Surf Excel
Rin

Brand Update : Surf Excel

An SKU is commonly defined as an inventory control count or a unique identifier for each of the products that can be ordered from a supplier ( Wiki). This is a common term used in relation to inventory control and often represented by a numeric. Another definition goes like this ' SKU or Stock-Keeping Unit is actually what is stocked i.e the unique combination of a particular flavor, quality/ price level, packet size , color / model specifications etc and also the identifying brand name ( source - a paper published in South London University by Jaywant, Andrew,Gerald)

But for a marketer, SKU's are something more. It is a tool which is used by marketer to realize some of his objectives. It can be used to
fight competition,
acquire new customers,
provide more choice to the customers
trade pressure
enable sampling etc.

The reason for all these fundas is because of the latest launch from Surf Excel - Sixer Pack. Most often , small packs are used by marketers to make the product affordable to a larger market. We have seen the success of Shampoo sachet and later the rush of the marketers across categories providing smaller packs.
Here Surf Excel is trying to promote the sachet customers to higher volume SKU's.
The logic behind Surf Excel Sixer Packs is simple - Surf Excel now comes with a unique pack of six chota packs (sachets) . Each sachets is for one day's use hence the sixer pack is for a week. The Sixer pack costs only Rs 10.
What I liked most is the way in which the brand communicated this idea to the consumers . Watch the ad here : Sixer Pack
Lowe has once again used the charm of kids in communicating the message.

The question arises as to the purpose behind introducing this new SKU. I think that it is to encourage the current sachet users to buy a convenient sixer pack rather than buying one or two sachets. The price is also psychologically comfortable . Another purpose is to make the brand more affordable to a larger market. The new pack will encourage those who use low priced brands to tryout Surf Excel on a regular basis. Those price conscious consumers may still buy low priced brands but will also buy Surf Excel Packs for their best clothes ( a possibility ! ).

Related Brand
Surf Excel

Brand Update : Rin

Hindustan Unilver Ltd ( HUL ) is a master marketer. The owner of some of the iconic brands in the Indian FMCG space, I used to look at the marketing practices of this company with a sense of awe and admiration.

And at the same time, this is a company known for getting the brands & consumers into a state of utter confusion. In the name of change, HUL brand mandarins experiment with their brands and some of the strategies can drive Philip Kotler to suicide.

Take the case of Rin. Rin is a power brand in the HUL's brand portfolio. This 500 crore brand is deeply etched in the mind of the Indian consumer with its strong association with whiteness.
Then there is the iconic Surf. The brand has remained in the top slot thanks to sustained product and communication innovation.

Now in the past two years, HUL has been trying to find out how to mess up these two brands in the detergent cake market.
In April 2007 , HUL had initiated a process to migrate Rin Supreme to Surf Excel bar. The brand migration was a high profile one. The ads screamed : Rin Supreme is now Surf Excel.

After a couple of months later, ads of Rin detergent cake began to pop up in TV. Now there is a high profile campaign featuring Bomman Irani for Rin Advanced Detergent cake. So Rin detergent cake is still alive ?

The new ad talks about Sabooth ( proof ) of whiteness. Now Rin Advanced comes with a whiteness chart which will prove to the consumers that Rin offers better whiteness than other cakes.
So what about Surf Excel bar and Rin Supreme ?

Well . I suppose I need to take a lesson on brand portfolio management from HUL .

Ok Lets go back to history of this brand . During early 2000, Rin had two variants Rin Shakthi and Rin Supreme. Shakthi was a low priced detergent cake and Supreme was the premium variant ( Product line extensions ). Some where down the line, HUL dropped Rin Shakthi . Then in 2004, Rin Shakthi was relaunched as Rin Advanced.
Then in 2007 Rin Supreme was migrated to Surf Excel.

For What ? Frankly speaking I am clueless. Is it a brand rationalisation or brand confusion ?

The result of all these is visible in the Economic Times' Brand Equity Survey results for the last 4 years.
Rin was featured among top ten brands in the list during 2004,2005 & 2006. In 2004, the brand was in number 8 , in 2006 the brand was in number 3 and in 2006 the brand was in number 9.

In 2008, Rin was not even in the top 20 list , it had the rank of 21.

As a customer I walked into a super market in 2000 to buy a detergent cake. I see two variants of Rin : Supreme and Shakthi. I take Shakthi and happily walk away.

In 2004 I walk into the store to buy Rin Shakthi and I find that Rin Shakthi is not there but there is Rin Advanced and Rin Supreme. I walk away with Rin Supreme.

In 2006 I walk into the store to buy Rin Supreme , I find that now Rin Supreme is Surf Excel . I walk away with Tide detergent cake.

In 2008 , I still buy Tide.

If your strategy cannot be explained in one minute, then your strategy is not worth considering.

Related Brand
Rin Migration to surf
Rin

Surf Excel : Dirt Is Good:So Is The Idea

Brand : Surf excel
Agency : Lowe

Baseline : Dag Ache hain " Dirt is good"
Brand Count : 3


Surf has been in the market for a long time and has effectively managed its product life cycle with the help of product innovations and great marketing strategy.

The recent campaign of surf excel with the base line that says "Dirt is good" comes as a pleasant surprise to the Indian consumers

We were associating Dirt with Bad. Advertisers too had established dirt with some thing to avoid at all costs.

Even our cricketers seldom dive in the field because it would soil their white dress and we have seen our Cricket players, sorry Cricket models escorting ball to the fence in their spotlessly clean dress. Dag ache nahin hain!!!!

I am not sure why HLL tries to shock the public by saying that dirt is good, may be it is to shock the public and we are pleasantly shocked.

This campaign has a huge significance. It says
It is ok to soil your clothes
It is ok to play in the mud
It is OK to enjoy life
Surf excel hai na!

There are innumerable spin offs that surf can do with this campaign . I will say that after " Lalithaji" ,This is the next "BIG IDEA......

Hats off to Levers and Lowe

Key words : Brand, Positioning, Marketing strategy, Indian Brands.

Brand Update :Surf Excel

Surf Excel has come out with a new campaign 10/10 ( pronounced 10 on 10). The campaign is aimed at raising fund for the educationally challenged poor kids. Every Surf Excel will have a piece of stained cloth. When washed, this cloth will reveal a number out of 10. SMS this number to 455 and that amount goes to a NGO that works in the field of education for poor. The campaign is set to collect Rs 25 lakh for the underprivileged..

These type of campaigns are aimed at making the brand more humane. The brand gains from the positive attitude created by such campaigns. Some theorist calls this Corporate Social Responsibility. But as Drucker said “ The main purpose of business is to make profit” and as we say to create wealth for stakeholders. The problem is that only a management student understands such concept. An ordinary person will view business as some thing that makes profit for a select few. Hence corporate are forced to display some actions to justify that they mean good to the society.

The latest Surf campaign also intends to do that. The brand is trying to ladder up to a higher level than just the Cleaning ability. Lifebuoy also has successfully taken up the cause of preventing diarrhea thorough its Swasth Chetana campaign. The brands like Surf and Lifebuoy uses children in the advertisements. There are some people who consider themselves as “ Moral Policemen” whose main job is to make the life of marketers difficult. These campaigns act as a Preemptive measure to silence those critics.

It is a laudable effort from HLL to take such initiatives for the brand. The brands benefits immensely by associating with such activities through the positive vibes created by such campaigns. Another brand from HLL , Fair and Lovely also has taken up such initiatives to contribute to the cause of women empowerment.

Image Source : agencyfaqs.com

Related Brands

Surf Excel
Lifebuoy
Rin
Fair & Lovely

Brand Update : Surf Excel

Surf Excel is currently running two campaigns riding on the popularity of the "Daag Ache Hain" ( Dirt is good) campaign.The new campaign too strikes a chord with the consumers. Continuing with the earlier campaign, the new ad features two kids taking a Puddle fight to distract their fighting parents fighting over a car collision. The voice over says " if some thing good happens because of dirt then Dirt is Good". According to a report in agencyfaqs, the creative team had a tough task in continuing a classic campaign and no doubt they have been very successful.

The second campaign takes a cue from the World cup. The ad features a group of kids preparing for World Cup 2015.
Watch the TVC here: Surf Excel Cricket

Both these ad takes on the spirit of the brand to a higher platform .The ads are also classic way of using kids to promote an adult brand. The " Dirt is Good" campaign is also a classic example of the power of a "Big Idea". The idea has been running for more than 3 years and still has not lost its relevance. The agency also has been able to keep the Idea relevant through smart execution.

Related Brand
Surf Excel

Image source:agencyfaqs,magindia

Brand Update : Surf Excel takes forward Dirt is Good campaign during pandemic

While all brands are trying to use germ-killing or protection feature in their product in one way or the other, Surf Excel has a different take on the pandemic. In the latest ad, the brand takes the time tested "Dirt is Good" campaign to a different level linking the lockdown effect on the pandemic. In a clever move, the brand has used a family bonding theme to further the brand's positioning. 

A powerful positioning platform helps the brand to mould it to suit various environmental changes. Be it consumer behaviour changes or changes caused by the external environment. Dirt is Good is such a positioning platform which offers excellent creative flexibility to the agency to respond to these changes. The agency has done exactly that with Surf Excel. Surf is in a position where it need not talk about its functional attributes. That is the reason why the brand has taken an emotional position. The current ad brings the brand's relevance in this tested times aiding awareness and salience factors. 

Rin : Whiteness Strikes

Brand : Rin
Company: HLL
Agency: JWT

Brand Count : 174

Indian fabric wash industry is worth Rs 5100 crore and Rin is one of the super brands in the detergent bar segment. Rin was launched in 1969. The brand came into existence when there was severe quota restrictions from the government in the Laundry bar segment. Rin was launched as a detergent bar.

For 37 years ,this brand has been the market leader in the segment. The brand faced all the issues of competition , customer preference changes and price warriors.But it withstood all the challenges.
Rin is positioned on the whiteness platform. For years the brand is associated with whiteness. This positioning is reinforced by the famous Mnemonic of Lightning. Initially the brand was facing competition from laundry bars. Hence the task for the brand was to educate the customers about the new category of detergent bars. The campaign positioned the brand as the better way to wash indicating the category supremacy over laundry category. Later when the category evolved the positioning based on whiteness was communicated.
The success of Rin prompted lot of competitor activity in the segment. Many products came into the market with lesser price. Rin countered the competition by the famous " Zara Sa Rin " claiming the brand to be more powerful than the less priced brands ( source: superbrands.com/india).
Rin had its fair share of extensions. The brand had variants Rin Supreme, Rin Shakthi and Rin Advanced . The brand later extended to detergent powders to bridge the gap between Wheel and Surf.
Rin is facing its toughest competition in the form of Tide from P&G. The brand which came to India as a detergent powder brand has extended to bar category. Tide is positioned on the same whiteness platform with similar communication.

HLL is known for its obsession with market shares. It never compromises on the market share and is not stingy in investing in brands. 2005 saw one of the boldest marketing initiatives for Rin. None other than Amitabh Bachchan was roped in as brand ambassador ( model) for the brand. The ads were trying to reinforce the positioning of Rin as the premium detergent soap. I was surprised seeing Big B endorsing such a brand.
There are reports that Surf Excel is extending to bar soap category and will be replacing Rin Supreme at the premium end. The logic is that Rin has a firm image of whitening bar while Surf has the strength of being a stain remover. HLL is trying to have Surf Excel to extend its leadership in the entire detergent soap category.
Rin has always tried to create the brand excitement alive by launching new variants or new promotions or some innovations. For example in 2002 , the brand came out with a direct comparison with other laundry bars telling the customer that the soap is mud-free . The positioning was focused on Pure Clean Technology that makes the brand mud-free.

2006 was another innovation of launching a cover for the soap that will prevent wastage of the soap. Although this innovation may be trivial, the brand is kept alive in the mindspace.And that is the strength that has helped this brand to manage its product lifecycle.

source:businessline,agencyfaqs,superbrands

Brand Update : Rin

It has been quite a while since I wrote about Rin. The brand was moving through various experiments in extensions and positioning. The brand merged one of its extensions with Surf Excel and withdrew some others. Frankly it was a real mess.

The brand was also experimenting with its promotional messages. Rin is positioned on its " Whitening " ability. The brand has remained focused on its core brand promise. But Rin was experimenting a lot with the communication of this promise. The brand could not find a tagline that was powerful enough to convey the brand promise.

In 2008, the brand came up with the promise of Double Whiteness. Rin adopted the tagline " Duguni Safedi, Duguni Chamak " .
Watch the tvc here : Rin

The ad was catchy but somehow for me, a connection with the tagline, the theme and the brand was not strong. Rin was trying to ladder up to a higher level need but the connection couldn't be established.

This year , Rin came with another advertisement with a new tagline " Chamakte Rahna " ( meaning Keep Shining).
Watch the tvc here : Rin Chamakte Rahna

The brand has finally found its right positioning statement. Chamakte Rahna is a wonderful tagline with immense potential and possibilities for new campaigns. The tagline has a strong connection with the brand promise and at the same time helped the brand to ladder up . The ad is also very nicely made .
Chamkte Rahna is a tagline that gives the brand new opportunities to communicate with the consumers. The core idea that the tagline conveys is " to realize one's potential " . Rin has already started promoting its new found positioning theme during the Dance Premier League where the contestants are made to say the tagline. The brand is celebrating the tagline quite well.

Kudos for the brand team.

Related Post
Rin

Sunlight : Sunset?

Brand : Sunlight
Company: HLL
Agency: O&M

Sunlight is the oldest brand in the HLL’s portfolio. Launched in India in 1888, this brand is a heritage brand. Sunlight came to India as a detergent brand.
Indian fabric wash market is expected to be around 5700 crore. Sunlight over these 118 years had its life cut out in the “power brand strategy” of HLL.
Sunlight was famous as a detergent or laundry cake which was very popular in the early times. The change in the customer lifestyle has tilted the market towards powder detergents. HLL focused its efforts on the powder detergents market and Sunlight was lost in the woods. Detergent cakes are losing consumer preference because of the advantages of powder detergents. Earlier, powder detergents were considered to be premium and with the rationalizing of prices, consumers have shifted towards powders.

Under the “Power brand “strategy, HLL decided to phase out Sunlight brand and focus on Wheel and Rin. But in 2004, Sunlight came with the new avatar as a Powder detergent. What made the company think about this brand is unknown. Sunlight detergent is now positioned as an affordable detergent with differentiation of “Color Guard” feature. The detergent also has the Pure Clean Technology that minimizes the “Insoluble” in the detergents. Sunlight is priced above Wheel and below Rin. The brand is promoted more in Eastern India and Kerala.

Why a brand that have such a heritage become a liability for HLL. It’s because HLL failed to use Sunlight to counter the onslaught of Nirma. Instead it chose a new brand Wheel. With the introduction of Wheel as a powder detergent and with the decline of the detergent cake market, Sunlight lost its relevance. HLL also extended Wheel and Rin to Detergent cakes so further sidelining the Sunlight brand.

Now Sunlight is used as a brand to effectively fill the gap between Wheel and Rin, so that no competitor can come in that price point. It is also interesting to note that this brand does not feature in HLL’s website. The brand have a very relevant brand name which denotes brightness and cleanliness, it is a brand name you cannot afford to lose. Sunlight should be positioned as a " Value for Money " brand. This segment is vacant in the Indian Detergent market. Wheel is perceived as a low priced brand, Surf Excel is a midsegment brand while Rin is for whiteness. Sunlight with its colorguard and Pure clean technology is in a position to create a market for itself.