Brands

Throwback Thursday: How Nirma became ‘Sab ki Pasand’

Published

5 years ago

July 8, 2021

MUMBAI: It’s Thursday once again, and in continuation of our Throwback series featuring prolific marketing campaigns from the past, we rewind to an ad that is sure to invoke nostalgia in most of us.

Remember the visuals of a little girl in a frilly white frock twirling to the tune of a catchy jingle? It remains one of the most enduring images from television commercials of the ’80s. Yes, we are referring to the ‘Washing Powder Nirma’ advertisement, which played a key role in catapulting an underdog, regional, barely known brand into the national limelight and in scripting its marketing success. Admit it, the song “Doodh si safedi Nirma se aayi” is already playing in your head, right? So, let’s flashback to the time when this jingle played on every television set – be it black & white or colour. But for that, we need to start from the beginning.

The homegrown detergent brand, which went on to become a household name, had a unique journey that began in the backyard of its founder. The washing powder is the brainchild of Karsanbhai Patel, who worked as a lab technician at the time, at the department of mining and geology in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, after completing his BSc in Chemistry. The year was 1969 and he was all of 24, when he started experimenting with phosphate-free synthetic detergent powder. Eventually, he started manufacturing it in his house. Packaging the washing powder neatly in a transparent pouch, he started handing out packets to people on his way to work, even selling it door-to-door.

‘Detergents’ till then were a premium product, with most average-income households using laundry soap instead. But Patel knew his target consumers well. In order to reach the masses, the product was priced low and presented sans any fancy packaging, to appeal to the target group. The packaging just had the name ‘Nirma’ with a little girl’s mascot on it. Not many know that the brand derives its name from Patel’s own daughter, Nirupama, who tragically passed away young in an accident. The image of the girl on the detergent’s pack belongs to her, as well. This also explains why the image has remained a constant throughout, upto this day.

The detergent market in those days was dominated by Hindustan Lever Ltd’s (now Hindustan Unilever) Surf, which was priced at around Rs 13 per kg. Since the majority of the middle class couldn’t afford to buy detergents at that time, it hardly had any competition. It is this market that Patel tapped into. He priced his brand at Rs 3.50 per kg. This massive price difference led to consumers opting to buy Nirma, over other pricier alternatives. Subsequently, the product sales picked up and Patel started manufacturing Nirma on a large scale. The time was ripe for a low-cost, no-frills alternative to Surf.

In the 1970s, when Nirma entered the market, the biggest challenge it faced was to make its targeted audience aware of its existence. This was the time when the available means of advertising were primarily radio, newspaper, and magazines- and only a few hours of television. This is where Nirma’s advertising strategy caused an upheaval in the detergents market.

Karsanbhai Patel collaborated with Purnima Advertising Agency for a catchy ad that would promote the product, create brand awareness and of course, boost sales. And thus, the jingle was born — “washing powder Nirma, washing powder Nirma…“

It first hit radio airwaves in 1975 and was a hit. Patel then took a chance on TV advertising, upon seeing the increasing scope of television commercials. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The ad debuted on television in 1982 with actor-model Sangeeta Bijlani as the face for the television commercial. The catchy jingle of “Washing Powder Nirma…Sabki Pasand Nirma” captured the nation’s attention, embedding it in our psyches forever.

The jingle had a desi touch with regular Indian names such as Hema, Rekha, Jaya, and Sushma being thrown in, which struck a chord with the masses. The ad by itself was not path-breaking as such. Positioning itself as a brand for the masses, it followed a similar template for long, showing young people actively enjoying- singing, dancing – and of course, washing clothes using the Nirma powder. It portrayed the act of doing laundry as a fun activity, instead of a dreary task. Focusing on pan-India reach perhaps, the ad was shot at a variety of vantage locations across the length and breadth of the country. The ad begins and closes with the ‘Nirma girl’ – the brand’s mascot- twirling onto the detergent pack.

It is probably one of those rare ads where the jingle actually outshines the visuals that accompany it. The song effectively and simply drove the brand messaging with lyrics like “doodh si safedi, nirma se aayi, rangeen kapda bhi, khil khil jaayae” (It brings the whiteness of milk to white clothes and brightens coloured ones too) and, “kam keemat mein adhik safedi laya nirma” (superior whiteness at a low price), which stressed on the low-cost factor coupled with a quality wash that basically every housewife was looking for. The campaign succeeded in dethroning the detergent heavyweight, Surf and overtaking all other big names in the market with its brand positioning.

Little wonder then, that apart from minor tweaks, Nirma retained the jingle in its ad campaign for more than a dozen years- going on to become the longest-running ad jingle in Indian advertising. The brand responded to the evolving customer tastes and times by showcasing the four characters of Hema, Rekha, Jaya, and Sushma as evolving with time, depicting them as independent-minded women actively pursuing their interests and passion, in a slight upgrade from the original ad.

By 1985, Nirma had overtaken Surf to become the best-selling detergent brand in India. And three years later, what started as a door-to-door selling brand, had 60 per cent of the total detergent market share in the country, dethroning the heavyweight brand from the house of a multinational, which had created the market in India. Also forcing HLL marketing stalwarts to go into a huddle for “Operation STING” which stood for-believe it or not-Strategy To Inhibit Nirma’s Growth!

It was a classic David vs Goliath case- that’s worthy of becoming a management case study- where the advertisement helped script the perfect underdog win. The Nirma ad goes down the annals of Indian advertising for taking on the market leader of the time. And while at it, it did what a good ad is supposed to do – tell you about the product’s advantages and make you remember it. And if an ad doesn’t tick those two boxes, all the awards in the world cannot make it work.

Related Topics:Advertisement David vs Goliath HUL Karsanbhai Patel Nirma Nirma girl Nirma origin Surf

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Brands

Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing

Streaming giant bets on a seasoned marketer who helped build Amazon and Netflix into household names

Published

59 minutes ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Netflix has put a proven brand builder at the helm of its films and series marketing in India, naming Rekha Rane as director in a move that signals sharper focus on audience growth and cultural cut-through in one of its most hotly contested markets.

Rane steps into the role after seven years at Netflix, where she has quietly shaped how the platform sells stories to India. Her latest promotion, effective February 2026, crowns a run that spans brand, slate and product marketing across originals, licensed content and new verticals such as games.

A strategic marketing and communications professional with roughly 15 years’ experience, Rane has spent much of her career building technology-led consumer businesses and new categories, notably e-commerce and subscription video on demand. She was part of the early push that introduced Amazon.in, Prime Video and Netflix to Indian homes, then helped turn them into everyday brands.

At Netflix, she most recently served as head of brand and slate marketing for India from March 2024 to February 2026, leading teams across media and marketing for global and local content portfolios. Before that, as manager for original films and series marketing, she led IP creation and go-to-market strategy for titles including Guns and Gulaabs, Kaala Paani, The Railway Men* and The Great Indian Kapil Show, spanning both binge and weekly-release formats.

Her earlier Netflix roles covered product discovery and promotion in India and integrated campaign strategy to drive conversations around the content slate, product awareness and brand-equity metrics.

Before Netflix, Rane logged more than three years at Amazon in brand marketing roles in Bengaluru. There she handled national and regional campaigns for Amazon.in, worked on customer assistance programmes in growth geographies and contributed to the go-to-market strategy for the launch of Prime Video India.

Her career began well away from streaming. At Reliance Brands in Mumbai, she worked on retail marketing for Diesel and Superdry. A stint at Leo Burnett saw her work on primary research for P&G Tide, mapping Indian shoppers’ paths to purchase. Earlier still, at Orange in the United Kingdom, she rose from sales assistant to store manager, running a team and owning monthly P&L for a retail outlet.

The arc is telling. As global streamers fight for attention in a crowded Indian market, executives who understand both mass retail behaviour and digital habit-building are prized. Rane’s career sits at that intersection.

For Netflix, the bet is simple: in a market spoilt for choice, sharp marketing can still tilt the screen. And with Rane now leading the charge, the streamer is signalling it wants not just viewers, but fandom.

Brands

Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits

Kolkata-based beverage maker reports stronger revenues and profits for December quarter.

Published

1 hour ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A fizzy quarter with a steady aftertaste that’s how Orient Beverages Limited, the company that manufactures and distributes packaged drinking water under the brand name Bisleri closed the December 2025 period, as the Kolkata-based drinks maker reported improved revenues and a healthy rise in profits, signalling operational stability in a competitive beverage market.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Orient Beverages posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 39.98 crore, up from Rs 36.42 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 33.53 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 42.24 crore, reflecting consistent demand and stable pricing across its beverage portfolio.

Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 3.47 crore, a sharp improvement from Rs 1.31 crore in the September quarter and Rs 0.39 crore a year ago. After accounting for tax expenses of Rs 0.79 crore, the company reported a net profit of Rs 2.68 crore, nearly three times the Rs 0.99 crore recorded in the preceding quarter.

On a nine-month basis, the momentum remained intact. Revenue from operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 rose to Rs 117.66 crore, compared with Rs 106.95 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months climbed to Rs 5.51 crore, more than double the Rs 2.18 crore reported in the same period of the previous financial year.

The consolidated numbers told a similar story. For the December quarter, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 45.06 crore, while profit after tax came in at Rs 2.06 crore. For the nine-month period, consolidated revenue touched Rs 133.57 crore, with net profit of Rs 4.49 crore, underscoring the group’s improving profitability trajectory.

Operating expenses remained largely controlled, with cost of materials, employee benefits and other expenses broadly aligned with revenue growth. The company continued to operate within a single reportable segment beverages simplifying its cost structure and reporting framework.

The unaudited financial results were reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 7 February 2026. Statutory auditors carried out a limited review and reported no material misstatements in the results.

In a market where margins are often squeezed by input costs and competition, Orient Beverages’ latest numbers suggest the company has found a reliable rhythm not explosive, but steady enough to keep the fizz alive.

Brands

BCCL profit jumps 53 per cent in FY25 as tax bill shrinks

Revenue rises 4.3 per cent to Rs 10,209.33 crore while deferred tax gain lifts bottom line sharply

Published

1 hour ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NEW DELHI: Bennett, Coleman and Company (BCCL) has posted a sparkling set of financial results for the year ended 31 March 2025, proving that there is still plenty of ink and gold left in the ledger.

Revenue from operations climbed a steady 4.3 per cent, reaching Rs 10,209.33 crore compared to Rs 9,786.44 crore the previous year. When you sprinkle in other income, which rose 8.9 per cent to Rs 949.36 crore, the total income for the media behemoth hit a healthy Rs 11,158.69 crore.

While the income grew at a modest pace, the bottom line tells a far more dramatic story. The real headline is the 53 per cent surge in annual profit. How did they pull off such a feat? While Profit Before Tax (PBT) saw a gentle nudge upward of 2.7 per cent to Rs 1,610.00 crore, it was a vanishing act by the taxman that really did the trick.

Total tax expenses plummeted by 32.4 per cent, dropping from Rs 468.76 crore down to Rs 316.97 crore. This was largely thanks to a swing in deferred tax, moving from an expense of Rs 156.02 crore in FY24 to a benefit of Rs 39.44 crore this year.

Total income rose from Rs 10,658.55 crore in FY24 to Rs 11,158.69 crore in FY25, marking a 4.7 per cent increase. Total expenses grew at a slower pace, up 3.0 per cent from Rs 9,306.06 crore to Rs 9,581.45 crore. Profit before tax inched up 2.7 per cent, moving from Rs 1,567.02 crore to Rs 1,610.00 crore. However, the standout figure was net profit, which jumped sharply by 53.0 per cent, climbing from Rs 1,042.03 crore in FY24 to Rs 1,594.73 crore in FY25.

Despite the rising costs of doing business across the globe, BCCL kept a tight grip on the purse strings. Total expenses rose by just 3.0 per cent to Rs 9,581.45 crore. By keeping costs lower than the rate of income growth, the company ensured that the final figure, a net profit of Rs 1,594.73 crore, was nothing short of a front-page sensation.

In a world of shifting digital tides, it seems the BCCL ship is not just steady, but sailing into significantly wealthier waters.