The Campaign

Diarrhoea kills over 1.1 million children annually in developing countries. Unfortunately, people are unaware of the fact that the simple act of handwashing with soap can help prevent this tragedy. In keeping with its social mission to bring health and hygiene to a billion Indians, Lifebuoy soap wanted to run an awareness campaign at the Maha Kumbh Mela in India, the largest religious festival on earth. Since most people eat with their hands in India, handwashing with soap becomes even more crucial. Which is why, we decided to focus on meal time as an important handwashing occasion. Our medium of choice was the ‘roti’ or Indian bread – a staple item served with almost every Indian meal. We created a heat stamp capable of leaving a simple message on a ‘roti’: ‘Did you wash your hands with Lifebuoy?’, and printed this edible message on fresh rotis being served to visitors at the Mela’s restaurants. Over 30 days, 100 promoters stood in 100 kitchens and printed over 2.5 million fresh rotis. Since people eat in groups, our message-on-a-roti ended up reaching over 5 million people at the Maha Kumbh Mela.

The Brief

The brand wanted a simple, cost-effective idea that could reach out to millions in the clutter of marketing messages at the Maha Kumbh Mela. The solution came in the form of a roti, or Indian bread, a staple item served with every Indian meal and traditionally eaten with the hands.

Results

Since people eat in groups, our message-on-a-roti ended up reaching over 5 million people directly at the Maha Kumbh Mela. On a total investment of $36,000, that’s a cost-per-contact of less than 1 cent! Spontaneous awareness for the Lifebuoy brand increased by 4%. Incremental sales were $40 for every $1 invested. At the target restaurants, people laughed and smiled and even got up to wash their hands. National dailies voted it as one the most innovative campaigns, numerous blogs discussed it, and thousands of people shared it on Facebook and viewed it on YouTube.

Execution

Over 30 days, 100 trained promoters, armed with 100 stamps, stamped over 2.5 million fresh rotis with our message: ‘Did you wash your hands with Lifebuoy?’ To facilitate the handwashing, we provided soap at the nearest handwashing station along with communication, in the form of poster, educating people about diseases that spread through unclean hands.

The Situation

Diarrhoea kills over 1.1 million children annually in developing countries. Unfortunately, people are unaware of the fact that the simple act of handwashing with soap can help prevent this tragedy. In India, most people eat with their hands, making this an even bigger problem. Lifebuoy soap, in keeping with it social mission to bring health and hygiene to a million Indians, wanted to run an awareness campaign at the Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest religious festival on earth.

The Strategy

We tied up with 100 dhabas (small-sized Indian restaurants) in and around the Mela through which we could distribute our message-on-a-roti. This helped us deliver the message directly to the TG at the 'moment-of-truth'.