2019 Winners & Shortlists

HANDLE ON HYGIENE

BrandLIFEBUOY
Product/ServiceSOAP
EntrantGEOMETRY GLOBAL Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryLong-Term Creative Effectiveness
Idea Creation GEOMETRY GLOBAL Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production BARROWS GLOBAL Durban, SOUTH AFRICA
Production 2 ALCHEMY FILMS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Additional Company MEMAC OGILVY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Additional Company 2 UNILEVER Singapore, SINGAPORE

Synopsis.

We all know that the supermarket is the final battleground for all FMCG brands and with ‘clean store’ policies imposed on brands across major players such as Carrefour; it is increasingly difficult for brands to stand out and change shopper behavior at the moment of truth. So we developed the Handle on Hygiene, a first-of-its-kind device that attached to the shopping trolley handle itself. With one single swipe across the handle, the Handle on Hygiene was able to apply a thin layer of Lifebuoy hand sanitizer liquid, killing 99.9% of germs in one go. We were able to effectively prompt shoppers at a pivotal moment, before going on auto-pilot mode and deselecting what is not on their shopping list. In 2015, we partnered with supermarket giant, Carrefour, in the Middle East for the pilot program, which saw approximately 20,000 shoppers walk through their gates on a daily basis. The supermarket trolleys were equipped with the Lifebuoy Handle on Hygiene overnight. As a result, when shoppers reached the store first thing, they were able to get a hold of a unique trolley. Every shopper who engaged with the innovation found it protected them through their journey - as they touched food, swiped and then retouched the handle; their hands and the handle were completely re-sanitized. Handle on Hygiene demonstrated the power of our product in an innovative way. We didn’t just tell them it would kill 99.9% of germs; we empowered them to do so through their shopping journey. We saw a 48% engagement rate with the device amongst unprompted shoppers, sales increased for the brand by 53% and the campaign was introduced to the world at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York where Lifebuoy hosted a panel on the importance of hygiene education. The Handle on Hygiene campaign received over 100 million media impressions across global health and news networks. The increase in sales versus the initial outlay provided a significant ROMI for Unilever. The positive results of the pilot encouraged Unilever to invest significantly more, putting the campaign at the center of their marketing activity and scaling up significantly. In 2016 it was rolled-out in partnership with 9 key accounts to over 500 stores in China over a 40-day campaign. During this period the brand saw a sales increase of 321%. 71% of unprompted shoppers noticed the device. 80% of these intuitively swiped the handle, Purchase intent rose by 30%. The device also appeared as content on National News channels across China to start discussions over the prevalence of germs and the importance of good hand hygiene habits. Due to the overall positive feedback, we launched a second phase to the campaign in 2017 where 27,850 units were rolled-out across 304 stores over a 3-month campaign. As a result, across 110 gold stores the brand saw a sales increase of 416% vs. 321% in 2016. Across 172 silver stores, the brand saw a sales increase of 369% vs. 181% in 2016.

Credits

Name Company Role
Nick Walsh Geometry MENA Managing Director
Elias Bassil Geometry MENA Head of Strategy
Ben Knight Geometry MENA Executive Creative Director
Logan Allanson Geometry MENA Creative Director
Christian Lozado Geometry MENA Copywriter
Omar Bitar Geometry MENA Senior Account Manager
Viko Ferrari Geometry MENA Art Director
Rocelo Lamboloto Geometry MENA Graphic Designer
Anna Start Geometry MENA Business Director
Julián Hernandez Geometry MENA Executive Creative Director