Lifebuoy "Swasthya Chetna": Unilever's Social Marketing Campaign

And we are working with parents and children, health educators, teachers, community leaders, and government agencies to spread the word,”⁵ said Caroline Harding, Global Brand Director, Health Brands, Unilever. In the process, HLL sought to increase the sales of Lifebuoy soaps by convincing these people to use soaps more frequently and also to create new users for its brand.

HLL launched the LSC program in villages where media penetration was negligible. The people of these villages were educated through lectures, demonstrations, visual aids such as flip charts and interactive quizzes. Various media vehicles were used in the program including cinema vans, wall paintings, weekly markets, fairs, and festivals.

HLL had committed US$ 5.4 million for this five-year program.⁶ The program was implemented by Ogilvy Outreach⁷, while Weber Shandwick (WS),⁸ one of the largest public relations (PR) agencies in the world, provided the PR support.

By the end of 2005, HLL had covered more than 18,000 villages in these eight states. The sales of Lifebuoy grew by 20 percent in 2003-04 with strong sales reported from the eight states where the program was being implemented. In 2005, the Lifebuoy brand grew by 10 percent and this growth was expected to continue in 2006. The program also received a lot of positive media attention...