ANTARCTIC SOAP

TitleANTARCTIC SOAP
BrandKAO
Product / ServiceCORPORATE IMAGE
CategoryA01. Fast Moving Consumer Goods
EntrantKAO CORPORATION Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation KAO CORPORATION Tokyo, JAPAN
Production TAIYO KIKAKU CO., LTD. Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Toshihiko Minobe Kao Corporation Creative Director
Tsuyoshi Shimura Kao Corporation Creative Director
Miho Kato Kao Corporation Art Director
Maiko Shimada TAIYO KIKAKU Producer
Akari Kubota TAIYO KIKAKU Production Manager
Shunsuke Nakamura TAIYO KIKAKU Production Manager
Suzuko Ogaki TAIYO KIKAKU Director
Tetsuro Hirano Freelance Cinematographer
Tomohiro Takahashi Freelance Gaffer
Ryo Wakikawa TAIYO KIKAKU Editor
Tetsuro Hirano Freelance Colorist
Erik Reiff audioforce Music Producer
Ayami Fujiwara TAIYO KIKAKU Sound Mixer
Nanami Kubo TAIYO KIKAKU Sound Mixer Assistant
Keisuke Inoue Freelance Product Designer
Shohei Shirai Freelance Product Designer

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

Kao Corporation, which promotes a sustainable lifestyle, has a task of raising awareness to consumers of CO2 emissions when using water at home. For the children to easily understand and experience how daily water use effects the environment, we produced “Antarctic soap”. The designed soap referred the relations of soap and hand wash, to the Antarctic ice caps melt by global warming. Every time children use water and Antarctic soap to wash their hands, they are reminded of the CO2 emissions and the environmental issues. Through this project, we aimed to change children’s daily habits of wasting water.

Background

In order to ensure that children understand why we must be mindful when using water, it was important to clearly communicate the link between the CO2 emitted when water comes from our taps and global warming. To do this, we produced a small soap in the shape of the Antarctic. Every time the soap is used to wash hands, it evokes the image of the Antarctic ice caps melting. We used handwashing as a way to show children that careless water use accumulates and that this could be connected to major problems such as global warming.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

It is hard even for the adults to relate that water waste causes CO2 emissions and global warming. To simply express the issue, we produced “Antarctic soap” which the white hand wash soap was designed in the shape of the Antarctic sheet. The direct experience of the Antarctic shaped soap dissolving and shrinking in the little palms of children, the whole act of using water gave realization of the impact their behaviors reflect on the environment.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

We want to encourage everyday actions that contribute to the reduction in environmental impact. With that in mind, we focused on hand-washing, a familiar activity for many people, particularly children. Through this program, we thought that if we could find a way to remind people to ‘reduce water waste’ every time they used water, this could ultimately accumulate into a huge action that would have a significant impact on the environment.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The soap, modeled after the Antarctic and the animals that inhabit it, was designed to be just the right size of a child’s hand. The box was made to fit the exact shape of the soap before use, so that when it dissolved and shrunk, it would no longer fit perfectly in its original box. This made it easier to visualise the melting Antarctic ice caps. In order to deepen the children’s understanding, the activity of using the soap to wash hands was, then, followed by a lecture on global warming.

List the results (30% of vote)

In a survey taken at the end of the program asking “what are you going to consider from now on when using water?”, answers included “don’t let the water run”, “be careful to turn the water off” and so on. 90% of the participating children answered that they want to be more mindful when using water.