The Campaign

Washing hands is a big interest for all moms globally, and one of the most simple and effective health rituals to protect children from germs and diseases. In Japan, 98% of moms with small children wish to make hand washing habits stick to their children. However, the good things that parents want to teach are not always fun for children. In fact, we found out that 93% of moms with small children feels stress for scolding their children to wash their hands everyday. Our idea was to leverage Kao’s technology of 3D foamed soap, and create an iconic medium that can trigger children to enjoy washing their hands proactively - at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea, the most exciting contact point for all children. We developed soap dispensers that bubbles out 3D Mickey Mouse shaped soap, and announced this as a flagship of Kao’s sponsorship to Tokyo Disney Resort.

Execution

On July 1st 2015, Kao became an official sponsor of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea, and launched the “Magical Soap Dispenser”. We installed 73 Mickey Mouse 3D soap dispensers across the park. The Mickey Mouse shaped soap was designed to be a medium to deliver a special hand washing experience, and suitable to be shared via social media. We announced “The Magical Soap Dispenser” in the press event, TV commercials, out-of-home media, and websites. In the press event, Kao’s CEO showed up with Mickey to demonstrate the Mickey Mouse shaped 3D soap. This was covered as the “new amusement of Tokyo Disney Resort”in various media, including TV programmes, Newspapers, and websites. Selfies of Mickey Mouse shaped soap were also posted in official websites and social media accounts of both Kao and Tokyo Disney Resort, which fueled the excitement of the launch.

The news of the new park amusement immediately spread all across Japan.“The Magical Soap Dispenser” was picked up in more than 20 TV shows, 13 Newspapers, 148 websites, and fired social conversation in SNS. Within half a month, 1/3 of the entire Japanese population (20s-60s) knew about “The Magical Soap Dispenser”. Moms and kids reacted the most. Kao’s corporate likeability raised by 74%, and purchase intention of Kao products raised by 224%. In fact, 1 out of 7 kids who experienced the soap dispenser keeps the new habit and enjoys washing their hands even at home. 72% of mothers who experienced replied that it will reduce the stress of scolding their kids about washing hands. By transforming the context of hand washing into an entertainment, Kao created a good habit that sticks in everyday lives.

The Situation

The development of “The Magical Soap Dispenser” was not about forcing audiences to hear good stories about Kao. It was about designing an enjoyable experience that people would naturally become willing to share. Especially when it comes to children, entertainment is even more important. This work demonstrates how we have brought excitement back to a commoditized market, by transforming the context of hand washing from a “boring ritual” into something that we can enjoy. It has also leveraged Kao’s sponsorship to Tokyo Disney Resort into a social conversation, supporting Kao to regain brand advocacy among a wide range of consumers.

The Strategy

Through connecting with children utilizing Kao’s technology of 3D foamed soap, our aim was to regain attention and brand advocacy among 20-30s young moms. Every year, more than 30 million people visit Tokyo Disney Resort from all across Japan. The park is a big interest nationally, specifically among young families. Key topics about Tokyo Disney Resort are always heavily covered in various media, and shared via SNS. In other words, creating news at Tokyo Disney Resort is not only the best way to address our target consumers physically, but also an effective way to gain media coverage of Kao. Our plan was to launch the“The Magical Soap Dispenser” as an icon of Kao’s sponsorship to Tokyo Disney Resort, and announce the new amusement with scale for consumers and media to spread fun of hand washing experience.