How Microsoft Excel has become 'victim’ of row over Surf Excel’s Holi ad

Software giant Microsoft’s Excel app on Google Play store seems to have become an unexpected casualty of the row over the latest Holi advertisement by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). The ad that promotes Surf Excel’s ‘Daag acche hai’ campaign has also divided social media. While some people are praising Surf Excel for the advertisement, the ad has not gone well with others.

Those offended by the advertisement have already taken to Facebook and Twitter to demand the boycott of the Surf Excel brand and HUL. While hashtags like #BoycottSurExcel and #BoycottHindustanUnilever have been trending on social media since past couple of days, people have now started to ‘dowrate’ the Microsoft Excel app on Google’s app store.

Several new reviews on the Google Play can be seen as terming the Microsoft Excel app as “anti-national”. Also, there is a sudden surge of 1-star ratings of the app on Google Play with reviews like “boycott Surf Excel”. The Microsoft Excel app, goes without saying, has nothing to do with Surf Excel or HUL or the content of the recent Holi advertisement itself.


Amidst this confusion, some good samaritans have pointed out this and are giving 5-star ratings to the app just to “counter” out-of-context reviews.

While the cause for resentment over the Surf Excel advertisement is debatable, the least netizens can do is not confuse Surf Excel with Microsoft Excel.

Video: Here's the Surf Excel ad

This is not the first time that people have confused entirely two different brand and products. Last year, many people downrated and uninstalled the Snapdeal shopping instead of social networking app 'Snapchat' to mark their protest against certain unverified quote by Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel about the Indian market. The CEO was quoted saying that Snapchat “is only for rich people” and he (CEO) was not interested in expanding the business to "poor countries" like India and Spain. Snapchat, on its part, had rubbished these allegations. Interestingly, some mistook Snapchat to be Snapdeal and uninstalled the e-commerce app.