Surf battles Tide with new formula

The spot eschews the usual hard sell and demo tactics in favour of a more subtle approach. According to Noel Lorenzana, Unilever's marketing head, the commercial adds a new dimension to Surf's cleanliness platform, which has been symbolised by 'Lumen', the wise, pragmatic homemaker who knows how to get her laundry clean with a cost-saving brand that delivers as effectively as its premium counterpart, Tide. The character was introduced in 1997. The 'Livelihood' commercial goes beyond the promise of the new formula's cleaning prowess. A series of vignettes pay tribute to noble, hard-working people like the farmer, the mechanic and the female butcher, who get their clothes dirty in the daily grind. The commercial ends with Lumen hanging out the laundry. As the 'conscience' of the brand, she ends the spot with: "Those who are clean on the inside can also be clean on the outside. Because a cleaner life is a smart life." Raul Castro, Lowe's executive creative director, who worked on the campaign, said the creative was developed to resonate with Filipino consumers burdened by rising commodity prices. He added that the campaign would be extended to print and radio. Surf's first attempt to crack the Philippine market failed in the '80s. But sales started picking up despite little advertising in 1997 just before its official relaunch as a low-priced brand. Research showed that housewives opted for Surf because of its affordable pricing. The consumer insight led to Surf's 'Wa-is' campaign. By 1998, the brand had beaten rival Tide to become the market leader.