Lifebuoy Activates Striking Bish Bash Bosh Campaign to Improve UK's Hand Hygiene Habits

Lifebuoy, the world’s number one hygiene soap brand[1], returns to the UKI with the aim of changing hand hygiene habits across the nation. The impactful campaign communicates the importance of good hand-washing habits to help reduce the spread of infection. The brand is investing £12 million MMS with its broad-reaching Bish Bash Bosh campaign.

Through the Bish Bash Bosh campaign, live now, Lifebuoy wants to raise awareness of the importance of hand hygiene through its above-the-line and in-store activations, as well as supporting behavioural changes across the UKI. The brand also aims to support behaviour change at grass roots level by embedding good hand hygiene practices with school-age children and the most vulnerable groups in society.

The Bish Bash Bosh campaign creative is based on the insight that as restrictions evolve, some people may be less inclined to continue the good hand hygiene practices they’ve adopted as well as starting to feel fatigued by hand-washing messages. To break through the noise and engage people in a way that is memorable, MullenLowe Group UK, put its hyper-bundled capabilities to the test through MullenLowe and MullenLowe Salt in partnership with fellow IPG agency Weber Shandwick and media partners Mindshare. The team has created an upbeat animation which uses contextual moments such as catching buses, going to the supermarket and using a chip and PIN device to remind people when to wash and sanitise their hands.

In addition to the ATL campaign, Lifebuoy is using its expertise from running one of the world’s largest hand-washing behaviour change programmes worldwide – reaching over a billion people since 2010 – to adapt its schools programme for the UKI partnering with specialist activation agency, We Are Futures. The programme will educate primary school children on the benefits of hand-washing as well as distributing free hand hygiene kits to schools in deprived areas. These will include learning materials and tools to help teach children about hand hygiene and instil good habits. Hygiene kits will also be distributed to vulnerable households across the UK via Unilever partner In Kind Direct.

Chris Barron, VP beauty and personal care at Unilever UK&I, said: “With many people feeling apprehensive about returning to their everyday lives, there has never been a more important time to educate people on the importance of good hand hygiene. We know that simply asking people to ‘wash their hands frequently’ just doesn’t cut it, as it doesn’t enact the behaviour change needed to help keep people safe. Our experience tells us that what people do respond to is the combination of the message alongside contextual and timely reminders. This is exactly what we have achieved with the Bish Bash Bosh, a campaign with a simple but highly effective message that is delivered in a positive, upbeat manner in highly relevant places where people need to think about hand hygiene such as when refuelling cars, or getting on or off public transport."

He continues: “Our aim with the Bish Bash Bosh campaign is to continue to support the significant increase in hand-washing that we’ve seen over recent months, and firmly establish hand hygiene as a regular habit for everyone in Britain.”

The overarching ATL campaign includes TV, VOD, social, digital, radio and PR will be tactically placed to remind consumers to wash their hands at high infection moments during their day – from adverts on petrol pumps through to prompts at bus stops and train stations. To encourage better hygiene habits, the brand is working towards bringing sanitiser stations to in-store settings and other out-of-home locations where lots of people gather to make it easy to sanitise hands regularly.

A behavioural change campaign will run with influencer and consumer PR to raise further awareness. As part of this campaign, Lifebuoy has also used its knowledge and experience from running one of the world’s largest hand-washing behaviour change programmes worldwide – reaching over one billion people since 2010 – to adapt its schools programme for the UK. The brand plans to work with more than 4,000 schools and reach over a million children from September, with teachers receiving everything they need to help drive behavioural change in the classroom. From educational materials and stickers to prompt children to wash their hands through to fun and engaging games and science experiments which teach children how easily germs can spread, the programme will support both teachers and children to improve hygiene in schools as they start to re-open.

To ensure far-reaching support at a wider scale, hygiene kits, both physical and digital, will also be made available to those most vulnerable and in need. Lifebuoy products and informative materials will be sent through In Kind Direct to thousands of households and schools, helping to make better hygiene habits part of everyday life. Digital kits, filled with educational materials with clear actionable advice, will be made available for everyone to download online - especially important now that 85% of consumers want brands to provide practical information and tips to help them deal with the current situation.

This campaign sits alongside a partnership with Uber to provide hygiene kits for Uber drivers and couriers in the UK which includes Lifebuoy Hand Sanitiser Gel. The kits are part of a number of safety measures being rolled out by Uber aimed at keeping both drivers and everyone who uses their app as safe and healthy as possible.

At every step of the way, Lifebuoy has worked with key opinion leaders such as the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) to provide the most credible and trustworthy advice possible for consumers. The school programme, for example, has been approved by the RSPH and Global Hand-washing Partnership.

Lifebuoy was first and foremost invented to make cleanliness commonplace and combat infectious diseases by providing effective antibacterial soap which was affordable and widely available and by promoting the habit of regular hand-washing. Fast forward to today and its mission remains the same – to change hygiene habits across the world. Lifebuoy aims to expand retailers’ offering of hygiene products, with a product for every occasion - including the Hand Sanitiser Gel available in 250ml and 50ml, along with a range of products with antibacterial properties launching across Q3 including - Hand Hygiene Wipes, Hand Sanitiser Spray, Liquid Handwash, Classic Red Bar Soap and Moisturising Hand Cream and Anti-bac.

The full Lifebuoy range follows the brand’s classic red and white colour combination, reassuring consumers of its authenticity and germ prevention claims. Each product clearly states the use and ingredients, ensuring optimum standout on shelf.