The Marketing mix of Surf Excel analyses the 4Ps of Surf Excel, including Product, Price, Place, and Promotions. Surf Excel is a home care brand associated with the FMCG sector. It is a subsidiary of its parent company, Unilever, and was launched in the Indian consumer market in 1959. Surf Excel is a detergent soap brand that has constantly upgraded its products to meet the changing needs of Indian homemakers. Its outstanding ability to remove most stain marks is one of its major plus points. Surf Excel faces competition from several brands, some of which are as follows.
- Aerial
- Tide
- Nirma
About Surf Excel
- Type: Detergent
- Industry: Home care
- Founded: 1954
- Founders: Lever Brothers
- Headquarters: Mumbai, India
- Area served: Global
- Current CEO: Sanjiv Mehta
- Number of employees: Over 100,000
- Major products: Surf Excel detergent, Surf Excel Bar Soap, Surf Excel Fabric Conditioner
Table of Contents
Surf Excel Product Strategy
Surf Excel was introduced as detergent powder and was projected as a brand that guaranteed clean and whitest clothes. It underwent several changes with time and introduced new variants of detergent powder with unique features. It is available in bar and detergent powders, liquid detergent form, and detergent powder. For Indian consumers seeking optimal laundry solutions for their top-load washing machines, Surf Excel offers a range of highly effective products. From the convenience of load detergent powder to the specialized Surf Excel Matic Liquid top load machines, the brand ensures a thorough and efficient cleaning experience.
Surf Excel has strategically positioned itself with a diverse product line in the highly competitive detergent market, including the innovative Surf Excel Matic Liquid and the convenient Surf Excel Quick Wash. These offerings cater to the dynamic consumer needs for efficiency and speed in laundry care. The brand’s commitment to user-friendly solutions is evident in products like Surf Excel Easy Wash and the reliable Surf Excel Bar, providing a comprehensive range for every laundry scenario.
The new Product Mix of Surf Excel in 2023 is as follows (Source).
- Powder Detergents: Suitable for handwash and machine wash, available in different pack sizes.
- Liquid Detergents: Designed for machine wash, offering effective stain removal and fabric care.
- Detergent Bars: Convenient for hand washing and spot-cleaning of tough stains.
- Easy Wash Detergent: Specifically formulated for quick and effective cleaning with minimal effort.
Surf Excel Place Strategy
Surf Excel company was first launched in Pakistan in 1948, and eleven years later, in 1959, it was launched in India. It has spread its product presence to Africa, Asia-Pacific, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, including product offerings in several global countries like the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Surf Excel takes the help of its parent company to distribute products in the consumer market.
Its intensive distribution channel includes services of regional sales-distributor, marketing strategy, national distribution strategies, sales distributors, standard distributors, wholesalers, stockists, and retailers to reach end customers via hypermarkets, supermarkets, discount stores, convenience stores, and corner shops. Buying Surf Excel products online from numerous shopping portals is also possible.
Surf Excel’s place strategy, critical to its own market share, presence, and accessibility, typically includes the following elements:
- Wide Retail Distribution: Surf Excel products are widely available in supermarkets, hypermarkets, and local grocery stores, ensuring easy accessibility for consumers.
- Online Marketplaces: The brand leverages e-commerce platforms, making its products available on websites like Amazon, Flipkart, and local online grocery stores.
- Rural and Urban Penetration: Surf Excel has a strong presence in urban and rural markets, catering to a diverse customer base across different geographic locations.
- Strategic Placement in Stores: Within retail outlets, Surf Excel products are strategically placed for high visibility, often in prominent sections of the cleaning supplies aisle.
- International Presence: While popular in South Asian markets, Surf Excel has expanded its reach to international markets, adapting its distribution strategy to local consumer needs and market dynamics.
Surf Excel Pricing Strategy
Surf Excel has targeted every household in India as its market share and potential customer. To meet the various needs of consumers, the company has launched sashes of different sizes so that a person can buy easily according to current requirements and affordability. For example, half and one kg products are popular amongst society’s upper and upper-middle class sections, whereas middle-class and lower-middle-class prefer 50 gm, 25, and 115gm sashes. Surf Excel is a premium brand with a high-end product.
It first adopted a skimming pricing policy as it was a new product without competitors. Later, it started facing stiff competition from brands in the market and adopted a mid-premium pricing policy. Its perceived value in the market is very high, and the mid-premium rate has helped Surf Excel Line attract a more extensive customer base. Surf Excel implements a marketing mix and a promotional policy at regular intervals. It offers monetary discounts and extra products at set rates to encourage bulk sales and better profit margins.
Surf Excel’s pricing is crafted to ensure market competitiveness while catering to a diverse customer base. Below is the pricing strategy of Surf Excel:
- Competitive Pricing: Surf Excel sets prices in a way that is competitive with other laundry detergent brands, ensuring it remains an attractive choice for consumers.
- Value-Based Pricing: The brand often employs value-based pricing, especially for its specialized products like liquid detergents, which offer added benefits such as fabric care and effective stain removal.
- Product Line Pricing Strategy: Surf Excel uses a product line pricing strategy, offering different products at different price points, from budget-friendly options to premium variants.
- Promotional Discounts and Offers: To boost sales and attract price-sensitive customers, Surf Excel regularly introduces promotional discounts, bulk purchase deals, and other offers.
- Dynamic Pricing in Different Markets: Recognizing the diverse economic conditions in its international markets, Surf Excel adapts its pricing strategy to fit local purchasing power and competitive landscapes.
Surf Excel Promotion Strategy
Surf Excel has adopted ATL and BTL marketing strategy policies to create brand awareness in the consumer market. Its commercials and ad campaigns are shown via electronic and print media in popular channels of television, radio, newspapers, magazines, sides and backs of several vehicles like buses and trams, and on billboards at populated places to gain maximum exposure. Surf Excel has launched aggressive ad campaigns that have attracted the masses’ interest. One of its commercials encourages children to go out and play without the tension of getting dirty because the brand has their back by assuring a super-cle. Its tagline Stains are Good has created a colossal rapport among housewives. Surf Excel’s strategic maneuvers in the detergent market reflect a meticulous understanding of consumer behavior. Combining cutting-edge products like Surf Excel Matic with a strategic focus on user convenience, the brand continues to shape the industry landscape, solidifying its position as a market leader.
In 2005 and 2006, Surf Excel launched an ad campaign and promotional activities for children to communicate that Dirt is good. Brand realizes the impact of star power and has roped in famous television actor Divyanka to act in its commercials. Famous personalities like Mini Mathur and Sonali Bendre are also associated with its marketing and promotional and marketing campaigns.
Some Recent Video ads and Print ads for Surf Excel are:
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