At Maha Kumbh Mela, the challenge was to effectively deliver Lifebuoy’s message by creating new media in the clutter of marketing campaigns. This was made possible with a specially handcrafted heat stamp, capable of leaving a legible impression on a roti by slightly charring its surface.

To create the lettering on this handheld stamp, we considered several different metals.

First, we tried aluminum, which proved ineffective as the metal tended to melt after continuous use, distorting the lettering. Next, we tried an alloy of aluminum and stainless steel which also didn’t work as stainless steel is not a very good conductor of heat, taking too long to heat up and cool down. We finally settled on brass, which proved to be perfect on several counts:

the metal is soft and allows for precision cutting; it is a good conductor of heat; and most importantly, considering the theme of the festival, it is an auspicious metal often used in Indian cooking and religious practices. We partnered with 100 kitchens in and around the festival and trained 100 promoters, armed with 100 stamps, to impression over 2.5 million fresh rotis with our message:‘Did you wash your hands with Lifebuoy?’

Since people eat in groups, our message-on-a-roti ended up reaching over 5 million people at the Maha Kumbh Mela.

On a total investment of $36,000,that’s a cost-per-contact of less than 1 cent!

At the target restaurants, people laughed and smiled and even got up to wash their hands. National dailies voted it as one the most innovative campaigns, numerous blogs discussed it, and thousands of people shared it on Facebook and viewed it on You Tube. Spontaneous awareness for the Lifebuoy brand increased by 4%. Incremental sales were $40 for every $1 invested.