Brief Explanation

Every year in Myanmar, 44,000 infants die in the first thirty days of life. Over a third of these deaths are caused by preventable diseases such as diarrhea. Myanmar Moms want to protect their children from sickness, but are limited by a lack of knowledge. Given this insight, Lifebuoy found an opportunity to activate their global initiative in the country: The Infection Alert System. The IAS educates mothers on sickness prevention, health and hygiene. For IAS in the Myanmar context, communications were done during relevant moments where infections are at their peak – festivals & key seasons in the country.

Results and Effectiveness

The campaign gained over 528% Return on Media Investment. In addition, partnerships with key media partners allowed value-plus benefits: free of charge airing for the PSAs, enhanced print placement benefits and partnerships with TV networks for Thingyan sponsorship. Information gathered through qualitative consumer checks indicated that mothers and children react very well with the brand after our communication. They share that they now wash hands and are also using Lifebuoy.

Creative Execution

To localize the IAS in the context of Myanmar, we activated during relevant moments: peak infection seasons in the country, such as key weather seasons and occasions. Timing played a strategic role: High-reach media (TV, Radio, and Print) allowed the campaign to build awareness at scale while high-affinity media (Events, Partnerships with Teachers and Midwives) provided an experiential aspect that was able to give direct impact to Myanmar localities. The country’s biggest event - Thingyan Water Festival – became a major platform to bring to life through its use of water, providing an organic link to hand washing practices on-ground.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Myanmar doesn't have a big anti-bacterial soap market, due to a lack of knowledge on the concept of germs on skin. Knowing that disease prevention is a priority for Myanmar Moms, Lifebuoy launched IAS – an education campaign on disease prevention. Our aim was to connect with Moms by presenting Lifebuoy as the brand that helps prevent disease. Communication was done during peak infection seasons on TV, Radio, VCD, Print and Outdoor. Beyond traditional media, Lifebuoy engaged with Moms through village and school visits with midwives and teachers, and linked hand-washing practices to key occasions - the Thingyan Water Festival.