The return of the cult shower gel brand Cliff, made famous by its dramatic cliff-diver commercials in the late 80s, is generating buzz. Behind this revival is Munich entrepreneur Frank Heller, who acquired the brand with a clear vision: to bring back the product he fondly remembers from his youth. However, the path to recapturing market share is fraught with challenges, and experts are divided on the brand’s chances of success.
A Deep Emotional Connection Fuels the Comeback
Frank Heller, a former hotelier who transitioned into the cosmetics industry, explains his motivation for reviving Cliff. “I have a very strong emotional connection to this brand,” Heller states. “The shower gel became famous in the late 80s through the Acapulco cliff diver.” He recounts how the image of a bare-chested man diving into the sea captivated male television audiences of his generation. “I myself come from this Cliff generation, who remember the Acapulco diver. In my youth, the commercial inspired us all,” Heller adds.
The brand’s initial launch in 1988 by Blendax, a Mainz-based consumer goods manufacturer, aimed to compete with Unilever’s Axe. However, Cliff’s market entry coincided with Blendax’s acquisition by Procter & Gamble, who were more interested in Blendax’s toothpaste business. Toralf Czartowski of Brandslex Markenkexikon notes, “By the mid-1990s, Cliff had reached the very bottom of supermarket shelves. If the brand had been removed from the market then, hardly anyone would have noticed.” In 1998, Procter & Gamble sold Cliff to Burnus, a Hessian manufacturer of detergents and cleaning agents.
Heller’s journey to acquiring Cliff was somewhat serendipitous. Five years ago, he left the hotel industry to focus on cosmetics. In 2022, he purchased the then-insolvent Burnus Care GmbH. “When I saw that the Cliff brand belonged to Burnus GmbH, I absolutely wanted to bring Cliff back to the market. I wanted to have back what Cliff always reminded me of, exactly as it was,” he explains.
Navigating a Crowded Market: Challenges and Investments
Heller faces several significant hurdles in re-establishing Cliff. The first challenge lies in penetrating the retail market. “If you go into a drugstore, you now see a huge assortment,” Heller observes. Securing shelf space requires substantial investment. “We are a medium-sized company; we are not Unilever or Beiersdorf with brands like Nivea. Market entry is, of course, not easy.”
The second challenge is brand recognition among younger generations. “In a study, we found that the young generation in their early 20s can’t relate to the Cliff brand at all,” Heller reveals. Even older consumers need to be reminded of the brand’s existence.
Thirdly, in 2026, television advertising alone is insufficient for building brand awareness. Social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are crucial. “Influencers are now an important part of the marketing mix,” Heller emphasizes, highlighting the need for a modern, multi-channel approach.
Heller has invested a six-figure euro sum in Cliff. This presents a business dilemma: insufficient investment means a lack of awareness, while excessive investment could lead to high prices that deter potential customers. To manage costs, the new commercial was filmed in Tenerife, not Acapulco. “So that costs stay within limits, we didn’t shoot our new commercial in Acapulco; we simply flew to Tenerife,” Heller notes.
Cliff has launched in Germany at 2.89 euros for 250 milliliters of shower gel, now available in 6,800 stores, including Rossmann, dm, Rewe, and Kaufland. Production takes place near Cologne. While Heller is satisfied with the initial market reception, he has not disclosed specific sales figures.
Expert Skepticism: A Risky Revitalization?
Despite Heller’s optimism, Marketing Professor Franz-Rudolf Esch expresses doubts about Cliff’s long-term success. “The first major problem: no investment has been made in the Cliff brand for years,” Esch states. He argues that a “revitalization” – his term for this marketing concept – is consequently expensive. “More than 20 years after its disappearance, revitalizing a brand is both an opportunity and a risk,” says Esch. He believes revitalization is only a true opportunity if the brand is still known to the target group and possesses a strong brand image.
“Both of these must be questioned with Cliff,” Esch contends. The market has evolved, with a wide range of shower gels available, including private labels. Furthermore, Axe has successfully positioned itself in the male grooming market with products that promise to make men irresistible to women, attracting younger consumers.
Relying solely on older buyers is also problematic. “Older people may remember Cliff, but whether they will switch back from their current shower gel to Cliff is doubtful,” Esch suggests. His hypothesis is that Cliff will only succeed if it is offered at a lower price than Axe. Currently, Axe shower gel is available at similar prices to Cliff, with some retailers offering 250-milliliter bottles for as low as 2.35 euros, more than 50 cents cheaper than Cliff.
Unilever, the manufacturer of Axe, declined to comment on Cliff’s market launch, seemingly unconcerned. A company spokesperson stated, “In attractive, growing markets, competition is a normal part of business and can foster innovation and further development.” Unilever believes there is ample room for “different brands and concepts that address various consumer needs.”
Esch points out that many brand revitalizations have failed. He cites the example of Maybach, which DaimlerChrysler attempted to revive in 2000. “The Maybach was launched with great fanfare, but most customers didn’t know the brand at all,” Esch recalls. Maybach is now a luxury variant of Mercedes vehicles, illustrating that “the power of a brand that has been taken off the market is often significantly overestimated.”
Lessons from Successful Comebacks and Future Ambitions
However, Esch also acknowledges brands that have successfully returned. Telefunken and Grundig electronics, now owned by the Turkish Koç Holding, have found new life in the entry-level segment with affordable Asian-made goods. Beverage brands Bluna and Afri-Cola are back under the ownership of Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach GmbH. The 70s product Creme21 has also been successfully revived by Creme21 GmbH from Frankfurt.
Frank Heller hopes Cliff will follow a similar success story. He plans to expand Cliff’s sales to countries like China, Japan, and Korea by 2027, with African markets also in his sights. He anticipates that investments will pay off within two to three years, after which the shower gel’s sales should generate profits. Heller assures that one thing will remain constant: the iconic jump from the cliff into cold water.
The comeback of Cliff is a fascinating case study in brand revitalization. While Heller’s passion and investment are evident, the competitive landscape and shifting consumer preferences present formidable challenges. Only time will tell if Cliff can truly reclaim its place in the market and avoid the fate of other failed revivals.
