Savlon’s Healthy Hand Chalk Sticks
A project we were assigned in “Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations” lab taught by Betty Tsakarestou was to choose one of the 30 Grand Prix Winners from Cannes Lions 2018 and do a case study presentation on them.
Our pick was the winner of the “Most creatively effective campaign” award, Savlon’s Healthy Hand Chalk Sticks.
Behind the Campaign
Savlon is one of the brands under the British multinational pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). It is associated with hygiene and health and it involves a line of antiseptic creams and sprays. Savlon is also a part of the Indian Government’s ongoing school outreach initiative called “Healthy India Mission”.
To promote their contribution to this project (Healthy Hand Chalks) Savlon turned to Ogilvy India. The Mumbai-based Communications Agency is a part of the WWP Family and is India’s largest, most awarded, integrated communications agency.
The Solution to Poor Hand Hygiene
In Indian primary schools, most lessons are followed by a midday meal break. More than one million children, however, still don’t have the habit of washing their hands with soap before eating, because they think water is enough. That leads to many illnesses like diarrhea and an upset stomach.
Most primary grade students use black-slates and chalk sticks to write. After writing and wiping the slate with their bare hands, the chalk powder gets smeared all over their hands.This is where Savlon’ s chalk sticks step in.
“Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks” look just like any other chalk, but they’ re infused with soap granules. That way, the powder residue on the kids’ hands turns to soap once they put them under the tap.
Creative Effectiveness
The Savlon Chalk Sticks won the unanimous vote of the “creative effectiveness” judges. Even though it’s difficult for children to take up new habits, this simple innovation turned a vital task, that was hard to enforce, into an everyday practice. Adding on that, it managed to do it in a creative, resourceful way. Firstly, they used an object that is familiar to Indian children and secondly, chalk is a low cost product both in terms of producing and buying. Parents in rural India might not be able to afford actual soap, but in the price of just 5 rupees a box (0,06€), “Healthy Hand Chalks” are not a financial long stretch for them. That way, children will get used to washing their hands with soap and this habit will be something that they will pass on to their kids afterwards. Savlon is not just solving a “now” problem, but a “tomorrow” one. It’s aiming towards changing the habits of not just the current generation, but all the ones that will follow it as well. And that’s not just theory talk.
“Savlon is not just talking about change, but actively participating in making it happen” , told Ad Week the vice chairman and group chief creative officer of Olgivy India, Sonal Debral.
The video campaign was first released on International Children’s Day (November 20th), shortly after chalk boxes were distributed to the first 100 schools. The response was huge and today, more than 50,000 boxes are set to be supplied by NGOs to schools in not just India, but all around the world.
Intercultural Communication
What makes this campaign even more special, however, is how it communicates its purpose and values. First and foremost, Savlon India published the video in both Indian and English, so that it can address and be understood by Indian and international viewers. Ogilvy had to be careful with how they would handle the social context of the campaign, to avoid misinterpretations and misconceptions, as its audiences consist of people with different ethnic, social and educational backgrounds.
Unlike other campaigns that regard issues in Third World countries, Healthy Hand Chalks’ purpose is not to bring out an emotional response to the viewers in order to move them into action, but rather to just inform them about the innovative product. Therefore, it doesn’t portray the children with pity — on the contrary, it views them as equals. It shows them playing, smiling and learning like any other children. Not having proper hand hygiene isn’t something that makes them inferior; most families in rural India can’t afford soap and consequently these kids haven’t learned the importance of using it.
Valuing the equal treatment of children of developing countries reflects on the actual product as well. “Healthy Hand Chalks” doesn’t cut down on anything else besides the price. As mentioned before, it’s cheap enough for a rural Indian family to buy, but it still offers decent quality soap and chalk with vibrant colors.
The packaging also comes with fun bacteria designs and is made of eco-friendly material.
Links
Powerpoint presentation
“Milokleftis” Team Members: adrianakil Konstantina Kallergi
