Festivals are a time for celebration and enjoyment, however, studies have shown that it’s also a time when most people lower their guard, especially when it comes to hygiene. Key moments of enjoyment unwittingly become key germ-threat moments.

Lifebuoy, the world’s leading germ protection soap chose to make one of the biggest festivals in India – Ramadan - a key moment to remind people to follow good hygiene. In a way that was delightful, without it seeming like we were preaching or reprimanding.

The underlying issue: People KNOW the importance of washing their hands to stay protected, but still do not actually PRACTISE it.

Hence, we had two objectives:

1. Use Iftaar, the daily ritual during Ramadan, of breaking one’s fast-breaking with a feast as a platform to drive the action of handwashing with soap before eating.

2. Making the reminder culturally contextual to ensure receptivity through excitement and engagement.

The Idea: The Handwashing Kebabs

We carved up Lifebuoy bar soaps of different colors to look exactly like the iconic kebabs and carefully ‘installed’ them on skewers, exactly how they are sold. These soap kebab skewers were hung right next to kebab skewers in stalls across Ramadan street food markets to attract attention and curiosity.

The strategic placement of kebabs and a handwashing station were an unforgettable reminder for people to wash their hands before feasting.

The activation was conducted in major cities across India - Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, and Pune, where footfalls are in the millions in their respective street-food markets.

We kicked-off the intervention on Day 1 of Ramadan and continued for the holy month, right up to the last day of fasting, culminating in the Eid celebration.

We also included the Handwashing Kebabs in food orders that were delivered home by leading restaurants and food delivery apps.

We carved up Lifebuoy bar soaps of different colors to look like the iconic kebabs and carefully ‘installed’ them on skewers exactly how they are sold. These soap kebab skewers were hung right next to kebab skewers in stalls across the Ramadan street food markets to attract attention and curiosity.

The strategic placement of kebabs and a handwashing station and message were an unforgettable reminder for people to wash their hands before feasting.

The activation was conducted in major cities across India - Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, and Pune. Cities that experience footfalls in the millions in their respective street-food markets.

We kicked-off the intervention on Day 1 of Ramadan and continued for the holy month, right up to the last day of fasting, culminating in the Eid celebration.

We also included these soap kebab skewers in food orders that were delivered home, dispatched by leading restaurants and food delivery apps.

The fun and non-preachy aspect of the idea brought the critical message of handwashing to over 1.5million people over the month of Ramadan. Those thronging the Iftaar markets, experienced the initiative, loved it and participated willingly.

Across cities, a multitude of street food stall owners and restauranteurs were keen to allot a space to install the Handwashing Kebabs and were eager to make this a regular feature for the future. The initiative was effective at scale, with minimal effort and expense.

Subject matter experts like epidemiologists and religious leaders like trustees of local mosques endorsed the initiative as timely and relevant, to help people stay protected from infections during the festival.

In the mega city of Mumbai (with a population of 20 million), the Mayor of Mumbai herself completely supported and lauded the initiative, encouraging Ramadan markets across the city to participate in the initiative.