2018 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

Tales and magical stories have the incredible power to influence young children’s behavior. We set out to create a tale about a fish that would find happiness in a kid’s tummy, if & only if they drink enough water. Using an illustrated storybook & a breakthrough interactive mobile app, we brought Tummyfish to life. The creative idea tackled 3 key behavioral change pillars: The Messenger Staying true to the importance of a parent’s role, we made sure the solution was only possible if both the parent & the child took part in the experience. We produced an illustrated children’s book that the parent & child had to read together to find out the story of Tummyfish and the importance of water. The book lead families to download the interactive mobile app where the story continues, allowing kids to meet their Tummyfish. The app was compatible on mobile only to give parents control over playtime so as not to encourage increased screen time among kids. The Incentive Tummyfish’s behavior mirrored children’s drinking habits, using data inputted by parents each day. Drinking water kept their Tummyfish happy & healthy whilst sugary drinks make her sad and unresponsive. Kids who improved their drinking habits watched their friend grow & were rewarded with games, while parents were able to monitor consumption & track behavior change. The Commitment A gamified experience that build a child’s commitment to the fish, and ultimately to water consumption. Using the mobile phone’s camera we were able to place the Tummyfish magically in kids bellies. This technique allowed us to bridge the real world with the virtual one and maintain the illusion of Tummyfish’s existence. The kids then had to care for their new friend. In other words, our mission to help parents raise healthier and happier kids by encouraging positive habits became a long-term program that embraced the parent’s role & changed kids behavior. We splashed it! Engagement - Tummyfish splashed in 212,426 tummies (app downloads) - The app was voted the #1 Health & wellness app at Dubai Innovation week - The app achieved an average of $0.819 cost per install (regional industry benchmark is $1.26) Behavioral The app had 72% active user rate after 30 days. After a 30 days period, 79% of children met daily water consumption target of 3 occasions/day. Brand Awareness of U4HK among a random sample of respondents jumped a whopping 46% from 20% to 66% prior & post launch. We reached 4,312,000 million video views on Facebook & YouTube. 100,200 video shares Partnerships: After a soft launch at the Gems School in Dubai to gauge student’s response, the Dubai Health Authority adopted the initiative with a full-fledged launch across schools during innovation week with the Arabic version of the app. We gave out the illustrated storybooks as well as educational leaflets, toolkits, and material for teachers making Tummyfish part of the curriculum. The partnership was key to further authenticate our commitment to children’s health, and ensure the teachers are also onboard.