Using a Belief in Change to Create Work That Does Good

H is for Handwashing is a very special idea to us. It proves that a genuine idea with great intent can be celebrated by the world, even though it might not be highly clever or score high on craft. By simply replacing the alphabet H in alphabet books, we want to build a lifesaving habit in children right from the time it matters the most. When they will learn this early, chances are they will never forget it. It’s creating behaviour change by building a behaviour at very early stages. The idea got executed at a global scale, something that brand Lifebuoy has been doing super efficiently for ages now.

There was no formula in creating this idea. Purely since it wasn’t created for awards.

All we wanted was rewards in terms of the idea truly working at a life level. Both the marketing team and the agency team have complete belief in the change this idea can bring about. It is not a one-time idea it might require decades for it to bear fruits. 

The fact that it won multiple awards including Cannes and India Effies and the Global Effies amongst others, has reinstated our conviction in ‘good work’. Or in this case ‘work that does good’.

Another idea that has won awards this year is the campaign for India Police. The campaign again was a genuine piece of work to support our frontliners, the police force, during their toughest phase of the pandemic. 

Their lives were literally at stake. So many of them did lose their lives as well. All we did was to remind people to ‘self-police’ and thereby help the force to keep people protected. So, from not stepping out to wearing masks and maintaining social distance we asked people at large to take a stance. ‘Main bhi Police!’ The campaign started as a single region one and eventually got rolled out nationally. 

An event I shall never forget is a conversation with Harjit Singh over a radio channel. Harjit Singh is a Punjab Police official who was attacked and his arm was severed by a citizen during the pandemic, only for carrying out his duty. What was amazing was the spirit Harjit Singh displayed. He was still positive, caring for people and waiting to get back to duty. That five minute conversation taught me more about life than the last 45 years of my existence. The police force across states carried out the campaign ‘Main bhi Harjit Singh’. Harjit Singh is now fully recovered and is back on duty!             

Quite like these ideas, our idea of coming back to the Effies this year had a clear intent – enter work that genuinely works. We were super harsh on ourselves on what work to enter. 

We were not wearing the Effies hat while shortlisting our work. Also, the work that we did not enter has worked by itself for the brands it was created for. It has worked in the marketplace and doesn’t need recognition to prove its efficacy. For the work that got entered and won, well just shows that genuine work is the true genius work.