Indian Soap Brand Campaign Aims to Teach Young Girls the Ancient Martial Art of Silambam

HUL & Ogilvy Mumbai have launched a new campaign for soap brand HAMAM -  #GoSafeOutside.

#GoSafeOutside is not just a campaign, it’s a monumental shift in the brand role. The campaign seeks to actively enable and empower young women to feel safe and confident. Give them the ability to defend themselves in unpleasant situations, making them strong and self-reliant. 

Harman Dhillon, General Manager, Skin Cleansing at HUL, says: "Hamam, as a brand trusted by 8 out of 10 households in Tamil Nadu, feels a sense of responsibility to make a positive difference not just to people’s skin, but also their daily lives. With our new #GoSafeOutside campaign, we want to help improve the sense of safety people feel when they are outside: by raising awareness, kick starting conversations and facilitating solutions. We consciously chose to centre our story on self-defence depicted through the ancient martial art of ‘Silambam’. A centuries old practice, often restricted to men, Silambam is the perfect ambassador for a brand rooted in age-old wisdom but equally relevant today."

The #GoSafeOutside integrated roll out plan will unfold shortly across various platforms:

1. Self-defence videos on digital mediums: These videos teach self-defence techniques set in situations that women face every day. Mothers are now empowered to teach their children simple self-defence moves from the home. 

2. CCTV billboards: The plan is for Hamam to do much more than simply advocate self-defence. When stepping out of home, women need the assurance that someone cares enough to watch out for them.  The brand is working with relevant authorities to identify locations in Chennai where the frequency of crimes against women have been recurring. Hamam will set up billboards in these locations, fitted with CCTV cameras that capture a live feed of the surroundings thus deterring miscreants. The intent is to also try and give women instant, direct and urgent access to help through an alert mechanism that reaches the authorities.

3. On ground interactive camps for self-defence: In addition to this, the activation will also have on-ground camps where the brand will visit communities and talk about the importance of self-defence.

4. Hamam packs with Silambam moves: Hamam packs will come with handy self-defence tips.

Sukesh Nayak - Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Mumbai, says: "Everyone must feel safe when they step outside the comfort of their home.  Our campaign idea helps the brand Hamam play an active role in making lives safer.  Hamam, with its new 360-degree integrated campaign, assures mothers that from here on, their safety is not just restricted to their skin because #GoSafeOutside is a campaign that reaches out to protect their lives just as the tagline states, You Safe, Your Skin Safe."