Safeguard has always positioned itself as people’s guardian against bacteria. In the wake of the Bangkok floods, people were ignoring the garbage as they tried to reclaim their lives. Safeguard wanted to help spearhead the efforts to protect the city from a mounting public health crisis. The brand was looking for a quick response to the problem in order to be at the forefront of helping to protect Bangkok from dangerous bacteria.

Safeguard needed a fast and effective way to convince people to do something about the trash piles. The brand enlisted local artists and sent them to 23 trash sites around Bangkok, where they used rubbish to build gigantic bacteria sculptures. These large, attention-getting trash sculptures seemingly appeared out of nowhere and loomed over the streets. Each sculpture had speakers attached, which played frightening noises and described the dangers of bacteria. The pieces were also tagged with information directing people to the Clean Up Bangkok Facebook page, which became the city’s primary forum for volunteers to organise community cleaning activities.

People noticed the trash sculptures immediately, and pictures of the giant bacteria sculptures spread virally online. The bacteria sculptures quickly catalysed a response from Bangkok’s citizens. 97 community-cleaning activities were organised through Clean Up Bangkok’s Facebook page. Thousands of volunteers showed up to participate in a concerted clean-up effort in the days after the sculptures appeared. During the clean-up activities, Safeguard distributed 5,000 bars of Safeguard soap to the volunteers who helped dispose of the trash. Thanks to the brand’s initiative, Bangkok avoided a public health crisis after the worst flooding in half a century.