Title | AURA INCENSE BARRICADE |
Brand | D'LAS INTERNATIONAL (PVT) LTD. |
Product / Service | AURA 'ALIYA' INCENSE STICK |
Category | G04. Social Behaviour & Cultural Insight |
Entrant | TBWA\SRI LANKA Colombo, SRI LANKA |
Idea Creation | TBWA\SRI LANKA Colombo, SRI LANKA |
PR | TBWA\SRI LANKA Colombo, SRI LANKA |
PR 2 | MERCURY PUBLIC RELATIONS Colombo, SRI LANKA |
Production | 24 FRAMES Colombo, SRI LANKA |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Shyan Gershon | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Idea,Creative |
Nathasoruban Sivapatham | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Creative |
Subhash Pinnapola | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Creative |
Renuka Marshall | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Managing Director |
Shyan Gershon | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Idea,Creative |
Shyan Gershon | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Idea,Creative |
Buddika Rathnayake | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Creative, Designing |
Chaminda Molligoda | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Writing |
Sachithra Gunarathna | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Creative |
Gayan Perera | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Client Servicing |
Shermeel Gunaratne | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Client Servicing |
Gordon White | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Client Servicing |
Mohamed Ikram | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Production coordination |
Saminda Rupasinghe | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Studio Manager |
Mayura Sesath | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Graphic Designer |
Lishanthi De Silva | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Content writing |
Shalini Rupesinghe | TBWA\Sri Lanka | Strategy |
Daham Weerawansa | Mercury Public Relations | PR Consultant |
Sulochana Perera | Mercury Public Relations | PR Consultant |
Harsha Karunarathna | 24frames | Video production |
Shyan Gershon | 24 Frames | Direction |
Chamath Hasanka | 24 Frames | Photo Direction |
Charitha Attalage | 24 Frames | Audio |
Thilina Rajapaksha | 24 Frames | Editing |
Nipuna Vidarshana | 24 Frames | Graphics |
Rivinu Amanda | 24 Frames | Graphics |
Sri Lanka’s human-elephant conflict is a national issue where poor villagers and elephants are those affected by it. The Aura Incense Barricade helped solve this issue, by creating an invisible barricade between humans and elephants; an initiative done in collaboration with the Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka who valued the idea. As a government authority was involved, the believability about the product was high among the villagers who readily accepted the product; it also fit into their daily routine without causing any behavioral change which aided in gaining approval and building a direct relationship between the villagers and the product.
The human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka is at its worst. This conflict claims the lives of approximately 70 humans and 300 elephants with around 3000 homes attacked each year. In addition each year 10 million US dollars-worth of crops are damaged by elephants which is detrimental to the poor farmer’s livelihood and to the country’s agricultural economy overall. The existing measures taken to prevent humans and elephants coming into contact have been ineffective. This has led to people using guns, poison, electrocution, and other harmful methods such as a ‘hakka patas’, which are tiny, round explosives to scare away elephants that result in the tragic death of the animal. These methods have drastically diminished the elephant population in Sri Lanka, and today the species has become endangered. Our challenge therefore was to find a solution that would keep both humans and elephants separate and keep them safe.
Those affected by this conflict are villagers in rural areas. To find a solution, we examined the daily lifestyle of the villagers along with the characteristics of elephants and the times at which they break into villages. As a ritual the villagers pray everyday in the early morning and in the evening hoping for a peaceful existence. Coincidentally these were the times elephants break into villages. It’s also scientifically proven that elephants are mammals with a highly developed sense of smell. When the villagers pray they always light incense sticks as a custom. We thought these incense sticks could do more. They could offer a solution, and save lives. Thus the Aura Incense Barricade idea came to be, facilitated by the Aura ‘Aliya’ incense stick. This idea transformed the ordinary incense stick into a powerful elephant repellent by creating an invisible barricade between humans and elephants.
Our research and development created a product with five well-known, effective elephant repelling ingredients. These five non-toxic, elephant repelling, natural ingredients are ginger, lemon grass, citronella, palma rosa and patchouli. The stick is 12 inches long with a 15.7mm circumference, which burns for an extended time of 5 ½ hours and emits the fragrance parallel to the ground for a minimum radius of 20 meters. Elephants would sense the fragrance from afar and avoid the area. Aura collaborated with the Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka and tested the product over the past 3 years, which began in the village of ‘Nikawaratiya.’ The easy acceptance of the incense stick by the villagers was due to our product fitting into their daily routine without creating any behavioral change. As this product tackled a national issue we knew it would capture media attention and gain PR coverage.
On the 15th of December 2015, Aura began testing the product in collaboration with the Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka. These tests, which were conducted over a period of 3 years proved successful. Once the tests were successfully completed gaining positive results, on the 28th of June 2019 the Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka began distributing the incense sticks to the areas of Galgamuwa and Nikawaratiya, which expanded island-wide thereafter. Currently the Aura Incense Barricade is continuing its efforts in helping to keep over 4000 elephants and 2 million humans separate and safe.
During the past three years (2016 – 2018), Aura collaborated with the Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka to test the Aura ‘Aliya’ Incense Stick; the results have shown a 100% success rate with zero intrusions on villages. This positive outcome resulted in the Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka distributing it among the effected villages. The easy acceptance of the incense stick by the villagers was due to our product fitting into their daily routine without creating any behavioral change. This project has gained coverage on a national level with 17 newspapers, and over 30 mass media stations commending us on our effort. It has also spread its reach with 1.1million social media impressions. These efforts have contributed to keep over 4000 elephants and 2million humans separate and safe, all the while boosting the image of Aura as a brand that took the concept of wellbeing to the next level.
Sri Lanka is a devout nation, and as such villagers residing in areas riddled with the human elephant-conflict pray everyday, as a ritual, in the early morning and in the evening hoping for a peaceful existence. It is customary for villagers to light incense sticks every time they pray. It’s also scientifically proven that elephants are mammals with a highly developed sense of smell. The Aura Aliya Incense Stick been able to turn the ordinary incense stick into a powerful elephant repellent by creating an invisible barricade between humans and elephants.