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1. PRAXIS BUSINESS SCHOOL
Brand Dossier – ‘SURF EXCEL’
Submitted To: Prof. Srinivas Govindrajan
Presented By:
Arunachalam Ramanathan B11010
Jigar Kotak B11023
Mridulla Mittal B11029
Sankha Ghose B11039
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2. CONTENTS
S.NO PARTICULARS PAGE NO
1 ABOUT HUL 3
2 EARLY HISTORY OF SURF EXCEL AND
IT’S EVOLUTION OVER TIME 3
3 INITIAL POSITIONING AND SUBSEQUENT
REPOSITIONING 4
4 PRODUCT ANALYSIS 5
5 GENERIC COMPETITION 7
6 ADVERTISEMENT 8
7 SALES PROMOTION 9
8 SEGMENTATION STRATEGY 10
9 DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY 12
10 FUTURE DIRECTIONS 14
11 REFERENCES 15
12 HYPOTHESES 19
13 JUSTIFICATION OF HYPOTHESES 19
14 INFORMATION REQUIRED 20
15 SAMPLING PLAN AND SAMPLING SIZE 20
16 INSTRUMENTS OF DATA COLLECTION 20
17 QUESTIONNAIRE 20
18 LIST OF HYPOTHESES 26
19 PRIMARY RESEARCH 26
20 ANALYSIS OF HYPOTHESES 39
21 CONCLUSION 40
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3. About HUL
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India‟s largest Fast Moving
Consumer Goods (FMCG) Company. The Anglo-Dutch company Unilever owns
it. In 1931, Unilever started its First Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Vanaspathi
Manufacturing Company Limited, followed by Lever Brothers India Limited in
1933 and United Traders Limited in 1935. In 1956, the three companies merged to
form „Hindustan Lever Limited‟ (HLL), headquartered in Mumbai. HLL was
renamed as HUL in June 2007.
It has over 35 brands covering 20 different categories in the market and has
strong employee support of over 16,000. HUL proudly says that their brands
touch the lives of two out of three Indians. The parent company, Unilever has
52.1% equity in HUL. The annual turnover was 19,500 crores in the financial year
2010-2011. [1]
Early history of Surf Excel and its evolution over time
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) introduced Surf in 1959, which was the
first detergent powder in India. It gave the promise of “Superlative Whiteness”
and it was the first national detergent brand to advertise on TV. [2]
In 1990, Surf Ultra was launched to establish a new standard of washing
performance. In 1996, Surf was redefined into Surf Excel, which offered three C‟s
(Complete, Cleaning and Care). In 2003, Surf Excel Quick Wash entered India as
an eco-friendly product as it saved 2 buckets of water a day! It also introduced
Surf Excel Blue, which was a color variant that would remove tough stains but not
fade color.
In 2005, Surf Excel Matic was introduced to satisfy the needs of the fast
growing washing machine consumers, delivering machine care with in-machine
stain removal. [3]
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4. INITIAL POSITIONING AND SUBSEQUENT REPOSITIONING
Positioning
In marketing, creating an image of the company‟s brand in the eyes of the
consumer is positioning. Now, this image has to be such that the consumer connects
with the product immediately.
A product can be positioned on two platforms, the consumer and the
competitor. When positioning is on the customer oriented, the advertising campaigns
and messages are targeted at the consumers. These advertisements propound the
benefits that a consumer will get on using the product. On the other hand, when
positioning is done on the basis of competitors, the advertisement campaigns try to
say that their product is better than that of the competitors.
Initial Positioning
Surf Excel was initially positioned as a detergent that „washes whitest‟. The
positioning was done to make the product stand apart from other detergents. The
image that they wanted to create was that of tough stain removal.
Repositioning
With the competition in the detergent industry increasing with the entry of
products like Ariel and Tide from Proctor & Gamble, Surf Excel was underwent a
change in its image. Their war cry now was “Daag Acche Hain” or dirt is good. This
was done keeping in mind that a major part of dirty laundry comprises of children‟s
clothes. Surf Excel says that you go play in dirt and we‟ll be there to take care of the
stains.
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5. PRODUCT ANALYSIS
At present Surf Excel has 5 products in the market. These products are,
Surf Excel Quick Wash
It is a low lather detergent powder that works well even with hard water. Hard
water contains dissolved Calcium and Magnesium salts. Soaps and detergent don‟t
dissolve well in hard water. But Surf Excel Quick wash converts hard water to soft
water as soon as it mixes with water. Surf Excel Quick Wash is available in packages
ranging from 200g to 4kgs.
Surf Excel Blue
Surf Excel Blue is a color care variant of Surf Excel. Its tagline says “Red ko
Red rakhne ke liye Blue”. It prevents clothes from losing their color.
Surf Excel Matic
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6. Surf Excel Matic is intended to be used in washing machines. It has two
variants: one for Front load and the other for Top load washing machines.
Surf Excel Bar
HUL made a unique marketing step in 2006. Rin Supreme became Surf Excel
Bar. This was done to counter the launch of Tide Bar. Rin Supreme‟s USP was
whiteness platform and Surf Excel‟s USP was stain removal. The merger took
advantage of both. Surf Excel Bar comes in various sizes ranging from 100g to 800g.
Surf Excel Gentle Wash
Surf Excel Gentle Wash is a liquid detergent meant for woolens, baby clothes,
silks, crepes and other such clothes that get damaged if washed with regular detergent.
It is available only in 200ml pack. [3]
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7. GENERIC COMPETITION
The Indian detergent market is estimated to be around Rs.12000 crore,
comprising of Laundry soaps, synthetic detergent powders, and bars.
The major players in the organized detergent market are:
HUL
Nirma
P&G
Nirma
Nirma is one of the most recognizable Indian brands. Its story is a classic rag
to riches saga. Starting as a one-man operation in 1969, today, Nirma has about
14,000 employees and annual turnover of more than Rs. 2500 crores.
Nirma was founded by Dr. Karsanbhai Patel. Nirma was sold door-to-door in
polythene bags. In a short span of time, with indigenous process, packaging and low-
profiled marketing, Nirma created an entirely new market segment in domestic
marketplace and quickly emerged as dominant market player.
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8. Surf was gaining success till 1969 until the sudden emergence of Nirma. The
strategy used by Nirma:-
(i) Nirma‟s cost per kg was Rs.3 when compared to Surf‟s cost per
kg Rs.15
(ii) It slowly captured the non-consumers of detergent
(iii) Sold in polybags rather than Surf cartons
(iv) Mass media advertisement with their brand tune and the girl
picture
(v) Door to door delivery during initial days
In 1990, Nirma entered the toilet soap market and today it is the second largest
toilet soap brand in India. Today, Nirma has one of the largest volume sales with a
single brand name in the world.
Procter & Gamble
Procter and Gamble is one of the Fortune 500 American Multinational
Corporation. It is HUL‟s main competitor in the world consumer product market.
P&G overtook HUL in 2005 when it acquired Gilette. In India they have Ariel and
Tide to compete against HUL in the Detergent Market.
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9. ADVERTISMENT, SALES PROMOTION AND SEGMENTATION
STRATEGY
Advertisement
Surf Excel brought in „Lalithaji‟ in advertisements to create the feel amongst
consumers that higher the rate, better the quality. This was done when Nirma started
to flourish in the market.
By the end of 1999, HLL came with a novel idea of distributing their branded
tablemats to offices through dabbawalas in Mumbai. The mat was advertised with the
line „Kuch Khana, Kuch Girana… Surf Excel Hai Na'. [4]
In 2000, a survey was conducted by HUL, which said that 70% of the water
consumption was used for rinsing the clothes. Hence, HUL formulated a new model
with „less lather and less water‟ concept. Thus, Surf Excel Quick Wash boomed into
the market and convinced many minds by saying “Save 2 buckets of water”. This was
a grand success in water scarce areas like Tamil Nadu.
Surf Excel had launched a variety of products under the same name. This
confused their consumers. And with Tide and Ariel vying for shelf-space HUL started
to feel the heat. It realized what was happening and introduced a global tagline „Dirt
is Good‟ in 2005. With the „Dirt is Good‟ campaign, Surf Excel facilitated a change
from rational appeal to emotional appeal.
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10. Instead of saying „Ours is the best detergent‟, they said, “Let children play and
get dirt on their clothes, we‟ll take care of the stains”. This was directed at
homemakers who had to take care of their child‟s laundry. And it worked! With their
new campaign, Surf Excel once again became the market leader in the premium
detergent segment.
By 2006, HUL made a unique move. They came up with an advertisement,
“Good News and Bad News”. The Bad news was „No more Rin Supreme‟ and the
Good news was „Rin Supreme became Surf Excel bar‟. Rin and Surf Excel were both
HUL brands. They were merged into one detergent bar to stave off competition from
Procter & Gamble‟s Tide bar. [5]
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11. Sales Promotion
„Surf Paint Fun 2003‟, „Surf Colour Your Future 2004‟ and „Surf X Sellam –
2005‟ made mothers and their children to feel Surf Excel as a member of their family.
This consumer relationship gave a phenomenal growth to their success.
HUL introduced Surf Excel Six Packer, which contained 6 sachets (for a week
usage) for a cost of 10. This was launched to make the product affordable in a large
market. Price conscious and sachet consumers were targeted.[6]
When Dove was bought by HUL, it had to change the consumers‟ bad
perception i.e. Dove was made of animal fat. So, they promoted a free Dove soap for
a kilogram of Surf Excel. This made a positive impact about Dove and at the same
time made other detergent consumers to buy Surf Excel.
IFB recommended the use of Surf Excel Matic with its washing machines.
Segmentation Strategy
PRODUCT TARGET PURPOSE
SURF EXCEL BLUE Everyone To prevent fading of color
Machine wash requires less
SURF EXCEL MATIC Washing machine Users
lather detergent
Low and Middle Income To provide both whiteness
SURF EXCEL BAR
Family and stain removal
To save 2 buckets of water
SURF EXCEL QUICK Consumers in water scarce
during rinse and to convert
WASH and hard water regions
hard water into soft water
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12. SURF EXCEL’S MARKET SHARE IN INDIA
Market Share in
India
18% HUL
12% 40%
Nirma
30%
P&G
Others
The synthetic detergent in India is categorized
Sales Segment into
* Premium (Surf, Ariel)
15% Premium * Mid-price (Rin, Wheel, Tide)
45%
Mid-Price * Economical (Nirma)
40%
Economical Amongst this premium catergory, HUL leads the
market with 60% and the rest 40% by P&G.
Premium Category
40% HUL
60% P&G
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13. DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY
HUL‟s distribution strategy has changed over time. Earlier wholesalers and
large retailers used to place orders directly to the company. The company salesmen
used to collect these orders and then deliver the goods to the concerned customers.
This simple system was good enough in the beginning. But then HUL changed
things in order to provide quality service to its customers. They appointed one
wholesaler in each market as a Registered Wholesaler. This wholesaler was then the
guy to whom all the salesmen went with the orders that they have taken. He handed
over the products to the salesmen who then distributed them to the customers. This
strategy helped HUL to reach more customers.
As time went by and the competition got tougher, HUL had to make its
distribution network leaner and meaner than ever before. Also, Surf Excel being a
detergent powder is a FMCG. So HUL had to make sure that the retailers‟ shelves
were replenished in time. To do that, they had depots all over the country. These
depots or warehouses stocked finished products and acted as buffers in case of an
increase in demand. Earlier the registered wholesalers used to get the goods direct
from the company. Now the company sent the goods to the depots from where the
Redistribution Stockiest got them. This made their distribution system a much more
efficient and well-oiled machine.
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14. HUL
C&F
REDISTRIBUTION STOCKIESTS
WHOLESALERS
RURAL URBAN
RETAILERS RETAILERS
CONSUMERS
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15. PRICE MARGIN
Market Value:
SURF EXCEL BLUE:
500g - Rs.50
750g - Rs.90
SURF EXCEL MATIC:
500g - Rs.80
1kg - Rs160
Margin:
C&F: Rs.12 per carton
Wholesaler (Outsourced) - 5%
Retailer (Outsourced) – 9%
SOURCE: Sub-Distributor: Moon Enterprise, Thakurpukur
Distributor: Doyabhuti Traders, Thakurpukur
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16. FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Surf Excel already has a huge customer base. So their priority in the coming
years has to be hold on to these existing customers and defend their turf from
competitors. They will also have to adapt and change with times like they did before
by changing their whole promotion platform. That is the kind of strategizing that
keeps a brand alive in today‟s competitive market.
India is a country where there are more villages than there are towns. In these
villages lie the customers that Surf Excel hasn‟t captured yet. There are remote
villages where Surf hasn‟t reached. So maybe it‟s a good idea to come up with a
variant that can compete in the economy segment against detergents like Nirma.
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17. REFERENCES
1) www.hul.co.in
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_Excel
3) www.surfexcel.in
4) http://www.afaqs.com/news/story.html?sid=1193
5) http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2006/02/09/stories/2006020903260800.
htm
6) http://marketingpractice.blogspot.com/2008/01/brand-update-surf-
excel.html
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18. PHASE -2
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19. Hypotheses
1. The Daag Acche Hain campaign has helped Surf Excel reposition itself
beyond detergent to utility.
2. Surf Excel has been successful in making their consumers aware of the
different Surf Excel variants available in the market.
Justification of the Hypotheses
Surf Excel was earlier positioned as a detergent that „washes whitest‟. Then,
during the late 90‟s, other detergents like Nirma, Tide and Ariel started eating into
Surf‟s market. So, HUL came up with the „Daag Acche Hain‟ campaign. It captured
the public‟s imagination. With this campaign, they changed Surf from a product to a
utility.
Surf is the current market leader in the premium detergent section. Surf Excel
also has broad range of products from sachets to Surf Excel variants meant to be used
with washing machines. This means that Surf Excel has a product at all levels. We
would like to find out if the consumers are aware of the different variants available
and use of those variants for their specific purposes.
Information Required
Consumer awareness of the „Daag Acche Hain‟ campaign
Effect of the „Daag Acche Hain‟ campaign on the consumers‟ choice of
detergent
Awareness levels about the variants of Surf Excel
Are the different variants used for specific purposes
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20. Sampling Plan and Sample Size
Target Population: Detergent users of age 20 and above geographically stratified
into three regions: North, South and East India
Sampling Technique: Convenience, Stratified and Online sampling
Sample Size: 150
Instruments of Data Collection
Telephone Interview
Personal In-Home Interview
Email Interview
Internet Interview
Questionnaire
1. How do you wash your clothes?
Hand Wash
Machine Wash
Both ways
(Method of Data Analysis: Pie Chart)
2. Which detergent do you use?
(Method of Data Analysis: Bar Graph)
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21. 3. Which variant(s) of Surf Excel are you aware of? (More than one option can be
chosen)
Surf Excel Matic
Surf Excel Blue
Surf Excel Quick Wash
Surf Excel Bar
Surf Excel Gentle Wash
I am not aware
(Method of Data Analysis: Bar Graph)
4. Which variant(s) of Surf Excel do you use? (More than one option can be chosen)
Surf Excel Matic
Surf Excel Blue
Surf Excel Quick Wash
Surf Excel Bar
Surf Excel Gentle Wash
I am not a Surf Excel user
(Method of Data Analysis: Bar Graph)
5. Are you aware about the SPECIFIC PURPOSE of the Surf Excel
variants?
( If you are aware, kindly specify the purpose)
a) Surf Excel Matic
I am not aware
Purpose:
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22. b) Surf Excel Blue
I am not aware
Purpose:
c) Surf Excel Quick Wash
I am not aware
Purpose:
d) Surf Excel Bar
I am not aware
Purpose:
e) Surf Excel Gentle Wash
I am not aware
Purpose:
(Method of Data Analysis: Bar Graph)
6. Do you use Surf Excel regularly?
Yes
No
I am not a Surf Excel user
(Method of Data Analysis: Pie Chart)
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23. Following are some of the statements about Surf Excel. Kindly select the
option that reflects your opinion
(If you are not a Surf Excel user, kindly skip questions 7, 8 ,9)
7. I purchase Surf Excel because it is a good quality product
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither disagree nor agree
Agree
Strongly agree
(Method of Data Analysis: Bar Graph)
8. I purchase Surf Excel because it is inexpensive
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither disagree nor agree
Agree
Strongly agree
(Method of Data Analysis: Bar Graph)
9. Surf Excel advertisements have a positive impact on my purchasing decision
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither disagree nor agree
Agree
Strongly agree
(Method of Data Analysis: Bar Graph)
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24. 10. Are you aware of the 'Daag Acche Hain' advertisements by Surf Excel?
Yes
No
(Method of Data Analysis: Pie Chart)
11. What message does the ''Daag Acche Hain' ad campaign give about Surf Excel
product ?
Surf Excel makes clothes whiter than other detergents
Surf Excel removes stains better than other detergents
Surf Excel would take care of any cloth cleaning related problems
I havent seen the ad campaign
(Method of Data Analysis: Pie Chart)
Name:
Age:
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25. PHASE-3
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26. After an approval, this survey was conducted via the internet, telephone and
personal interviews for a sample size of 150 individuals. Respondents were from
almost all regions of the country. The age of the respondents varied from 20-70 years.
LIST OF HYPOTHESES
1. The Daag Acche Hain campaign has helped Surf Excel reposition itself
beyond detergent to utility.
2. Surf Excel has been successful in making their consumers aware of the
different Surf Excel variants available in the market.
PRIMARY RESEARCH
1. How do you wash your clothes?
Method No.of
Users
Machine 51
Wash
Hand 41
Wash
Both Ways 58
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27. 39% 34%
Machine Wash
Hand Wash
27%
Both Ways
We can see that of the 150 people surveyed, 51 wash their clothes using washing
machines, 41 by hand and 48 wash them both ways. This amounts to 34%, 27% and
39% respectively.
2. Which detergent do you use?
Detergents No of
Users
Surf Excel 110
Ariel 10
Tide 21
Others 9
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28. 120 110
100
80
60 No.of Users
40
21
20 10 9
0
Surf Excel Ariel Tide Others
Of the 150 people surveyed, 110 use Surf Excel, 10 use Ariel, 21 use Tide and 9 use
other detergents. We can thus tentatively say that Surf Excel is a leader in the
detergent market.
3. Which variants of Surf Excel are you aware of?
Variants No of
Users
Surf Excel Matic 51
Surf Excel Blue 122
Surf Excel Quick 50
Wash
Surf Excel Bar 94
Surf Excel Gentle 27
Wash
Not Aware 7
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29. 140
122
120
100 94
80
No.of Users
60 51 50
40
27
20
7
0
Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel Bar Surf Excel Not Aware
Matic Blue Quick Wash Gentle Wash
As shown in the graph above, Surf Excel Blue and the Surf Excel detergent Bar are
the two most recognized variants of Surf Excel.
4. Which variants of Surf Excel do you use?
Overall
Variants No of
Users
Surf Excel 28
Matic
Surf Excel Blue 80
Surf Excel 24
Quick Wash
Surf Excel Bar 45
Surf Excel 12
Gentle Wash
Non Surf Excel 36
Users
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30. Overall
90 80
80
70
60
50 45
40 36
28
30 24 No.of users
20 12
10
0
Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel Non Surf
Matic Blue Quick Bar Gentle Excel
Wash Wash Users
Surf Excel Blue is the most used variant among the 150 people surveyed. This is
consistent with the previous observation where we saw that the same variant is the
most recognized of the six.
Machine Wash
Variants No of
Users
Surf Excel 15
Matic
Surf Excel Blue 20
Surf Excel 7
Quick Wash
Surf Excel Bar 9
Surf Excel 5
Gentle Wash
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31. Machine Wash
25
20
20
15
15
10 9 No.of Users
7
5
5
0
Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel Bar Surf Excel
Matic Blue Quick Wash Gentle Wash
Here we can see that of the people who use a washing machine to wash their clothes,
more people use Surf Excel Blue than people who use Surf Excel Matic which is the
variant that is supposed to be used with washing machines.
Hand Wash
Variants No of
Users
Surf Excel 0
Matic
Surf Excel Blue 27
Surf Excel 5
Quick Wash
Surf Excel Bar 13
Surf Excel 1
Gentle Wash
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32. Hand Wash
30 27
25
20
15 13
No.of Users
10
5
5
0 1
0
Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel Surf Excel
Matic Blue Quick Wash Bar Gentle
Wash
Here we see that people who wash their clothes by hand use Surf Excel Blue the most.
5. User awareness about specific purposes of Surf Excel Variants
i) Surf Excel Matic
ii) Surf Excel Blue
iii) Surf Excel Quick Wash
iv) Surf Excel Bar
v) Surf Excel Gentle Wash
Variants Aware Not Aware
Surf Excel Matic 30 21
Surl Excel Blue 4 118
Surf Excel Quick 4 46
Wash
Surf Excel Bar 45 47
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33. Surf Excel Gentle 11 18
Wash
120
106 106
100 94
83
78
80
60 Aware
Not Aware
40 32
27
20 16
4 4
0
Surf Excel Matic Surl Excel Blue Surf Excel Quick Surf Excel Bar Surf Excel
Wash Gentle Wash
Surf Excel Matic and Surf Excel Bar are the two variants whose purposes consumers
are relatively more aware of.
6. Do you use Surf Excel regularly?
Response No of
Users
Yes 96
No 14
Not a Surf 40
Excel User
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34. 27%
Yes
9% No
64%
Not a Surf Excel User
Of the 150 people surveyed, 96 use Surf Excel regularly, 14 don‟t while 40 are not
Surf Excel Users. These figures amount to 64%, 27% and 9% respectively.
7. I purchase Surf Excel because it is a good quality product
Response No of Users
Strongly Disagree 5
Disagree 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree 4
Agree 57
Strongly Agree 44
Total 110
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35. 60 57
50
44
40
30
No.of Users
20
10
5 4
0
0
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Disagree
This shows that consumers deem Surf Excel to be a product superior in quality.
8. I purchase Surf Excel because it is inexpensive
Response No of Users
Strongly Disagree 12
Disagree 38
Neither Agree nor Disagree 38
Agree 18
Strongly Agree 4
Total 110
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36. 40 38 38
35
30
25
20 18
No.of Users
15 12
10
4
5
0
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Disagree
This shows that consumers believe that Surf Excel is expensive. When we combine
this observation with the previous one, we can infer that consumers are willing to buy
Surf Excel even though it is expensive, because they believe that it is superior in
quality.
9. Surf Excel advertisements have a positive impact on my purchasing decision
Response No of Users
Strongly Disagree 2
Disagree 16
Neither Agree nor Disagree 31
Agree 50
Strongly Agree 11
Total 110
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37. 60
50
50
40
31
30
No.of Users
20 16
11
10
2
0
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Disagree
This shows that advertisements have at least an effect on the buying behavior of
some consumers.
10. Are you aware of the 'Daag Acche Hain' advertisements by Surf Excel?
Response No of Users
Yes 136
No 14
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38. 9%
Yes No
91%
Of the 150 people surveyed, a whopping 91% are aware of the „Daag Acche Hain‟
advertisements by Surf Excel.
11. What message does the ''Daag Acche Hain' ad campaign give about Surf Excel
product?
Response No of Users
Provides Whiteness 6
Removes Stains 59
All cloth cleaning 71
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39. problems
Haven‟t seen ad campaign 14
9% 4%
Provide Whiteness
40%
Removes Stains
47%
All cloth cleaning problems
Havent seen ad campaign
Of the 150 people surveyed, 71 believe that Surf Excel is a one-stop solution for all
their clothing problems. While 64 believe that it takes care of selective problems.
From this we can say that 47% see Surf Excel as more than just a detergent.
ANALYSIS OF THE HYPOTHESES AFTER THE SURVEY
Hypothesis 1:-
With the help of question nos.6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the questionnaire, we
will try to prove our first hypothesis.
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40. Users of Surf Excel who are aware of the advertisements
14%
Yes
No
86%
PositiveImpact of advertisements on the users of Surf Excel
16%
Agree & Strongly Agree
25%
59%
Neutral
Disagree & Strongly
Disgaree
From the first chart we see that 86% of the consumers are aware of the Surf
Excel Advertisements. And from the second chart we can gather that 59% of
consumers believe that their buying behavior has been affected by these
advertisements.
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41. Also, from the responses to questions 7 and 8, we infer that consumers believe
that Surf Excel is expensive but they are willing to pay the extra dough because they
deem Surf Excel to be superior in quality.
We can thus say that Surf Excel is a distinct brand and not a utility. And hence
the first hypothesis stands disproved.
Hypothesis 2:-
From the responses to question no. 5 of the questionnaire, we can disprove the
second hypothesis. As we saw, out of the 110 Surf Excel Users, only 27, 4, 4, 32 and
16 people are aware of the specific purposes of Surf Excel Matic, Surf Excel Blue,
Surf Excel Quick Wash, Surf Excel Bar and Surf Excel Gentle Wash respectively.
This shows that consumers are not aware of the specific purposes of the different Surf
Excel variants.
Also from the responses to question no. 4 we see that only 15 people using
washing machines use Surf Excel Matic. This reinforces the observation that
consumers are unaware of the specific purposes of the variants. And thus the second
hypothesis is also disproved.
CONCLUSION
Both the first hypothesis and the second hypothesis are rejected.
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