The barrage of handwashing messages during the pandemic created a blind spot towards it in the minds of the audience. Savlon had to make the critical act of handwashing top of mind, again. We did it by using a unique spokesperson, that got India liking, discussing and spreading our message.

As a result, this communication placed the brand Savlon at the top of handwashing conversations and deep in consumers’ hearts.

In 2016, Savlon started the Savlon Swasth India Mission (Healthy India Mission) to promote handwashing as an effective habit for preventing diseases. We’ve launched innovative initiatives like Healthy Hand Chalksticks, ID-Guard and many more. This year the pandemic created a unique situation. While it made everyone realise the need to wash hands, the overkill of handwashing messages also led to people get irritated.

People started getting lax about washing hands. We had to come up with an idea that would stand out of the clutter and get people to take notice of the importance of handwashing.

To overcome the resistance to handwashing messages, we chose someone whose message couldn’t be ignored. We made someone born without hands, the spokesperson for handwash. We partnered with Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) and via them with Swapna Augustine, a brilliant but little known foot artist.

We launched #NoHandUnwashed initiative with a film starring her. In the film she uses her feet as her hands and so it catches your attention from the first frame. It is only natural that she then uses handwash to clean her feet, asking a simple question to all of us – “If it's so easy for me to use handwash, why don't you?”

A message that could not be forgotten once heard.

One line strategy - Every creative piece in this handwashing campaign will be created by people without hands.

With a nationwide lockdown in place, Indians took to spending more and more time online. So we started by launching the film Savlon Artist, where people saw a girl without hands giving a powerful handwashing message.

Soon, we followed this up with handwash-themed paintings by various foot artists from the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA).

These paintings were also turned into a calendar to keep the message fresh in 2021.

Making sure that the #NoHandUnwashed movement stays alive in India.

We started by partnering MFPA, the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists.

We made Sapna Augustine, a girl born without hands, the face of handwashing.

A film starring her was released on Global Handwashing Day, on major platforms like You Tube, Facebook and Instagram. We made sure all of India saw Sapna Augustine by releasing the film on television as well. The film ran from October 15th 2020 to March 2021.

Social media was flooded with paintings and messages from other foot artists across India. One of the paintings was also displayed at Times Square New York.

These paintings were also turned into a calendar to keep the message fresh in 2021.

Making sure that the #NoHandUnwashed movement stays alive in India.

The video got 27.5 million views and 255.5 million impressions within a month.

Earned media coverage of the campaign by national and international publications is of an estimated value of Rs. 130 million (approx. US$ 1.8million). Picked up the Japanese, UK, Spanish, Korean and Italian press, in addition to Indian press.

Organic shoutouts from influencers and celebrities, including Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, Indian Paralympian Deepa Malik, Michelin star chef Vikas Khanna and cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle.

Despite the fatigue caused by countless other handwashing campaigns, our communication received almost 97% positive mentions/comments.

Savlon nearly doubled its usage. And its Awareness-To-Trial ratio grew by 1.5X.

Savlon Handwash had grown at more than twice the rate of category (101% vs 44%), for sales volume for year ending Nov’2020.