Surf Excel is back with its Holi special 'Daag Achhe Hain' ad; this time, it talks about how colours can bridge emotional distances

• Holi's much-awaited campaign is here.
• Addressing today’s emotional need of connecting with our loved ones, Surf Excel's campaign narrates a heart-warming story of an emotional bond created using Holi colours.

The pandemic had isolated all sections of the society last year. It struck at the very heart of what makes us human – our social and emotional connection with one another. Even though lives seem to be going back to normal slowly, certain vulnerable segments of the society like elderly and senior citizens continue to remain socially distant for safety. And while we all want to visit our loved ones, this has been hard given the risks associated with travelling and socializing. For our elders, this also means that they have been deprived of the emotional and social warmth of being close to their families for a long time.

Surf Excel’s latest Holi campaign takes forward its unique 'Daag Achhe Hain' brand proposition and continues to use colours as a medium of ‘togetherness’. This year, it shows how the colours of Holi can help bridge emotional distances and bring hearts closer, despite physical distancing. Surf Excel’s latest campaign #RangAchheHain shows a heart-warming gesture by an innocent boy who wishes to include his friend Rancho, an elderly neighbor, in the Holi celebrations. On realizing that Rancho cannot be included in the festivities like everyone else, he decides to have his own ingenious yet responsible celebration with Rancho. The TVC builds the emotional quotient as the boy says, ‘Mere haath nahi pahunchenge, isliye rang pahuncha diye." The ingenuity of the boy and his empathy towards Rancho brings alive the true spirit of Holi and demonstrates that physical distance should not deter emotional connections, a fact vividly showcased in the ad.

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Prabha Narasimhan, Executive Director & VP – Home Care , South Asia, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, said, “Holi is one of the biggest and most loved festivals in our country and we have been able to create a strong emotional connect with our audiences through our Holi campaigns in the last two years. This year is a bit different as we are all still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, which has created both physical and emotional distances. Addressing the emotional needs of the vulnerable segment of population, the ad shows how a young boy endeavors to include the elderly in the festive fervor through a simple yet creative way of making colors reach where hands cannot. It is a natural extension of our brand philosophy of ‘Daag achhe hain’, in which we have always shown children getting dirty while doing good deeds & demonstrating good values. We do hope that people are inspired to find their own unique ways to connect with their families this festive season."

Talking about the conceptualization of the campaign, Carlos Pereira, Creative Director, said, “The campaign continues to build on the theme of how “Holi colours can bring people together”. But this year, given the new rules of engagement due to the pandemic, it was important to also showcase how Holi can be celebrated in a responsible manner. The campaign reflects on how colours can be a medium for fostering emotional togetherness, even though there may be physical distance between us.”

The campaign will be live from 1st March across TV, digital & outdoor media.This Holi don’t forget to spread cheer around because ‘Jo dilon ko paas laaye, woh rang achhe hain’!