When two hygiene product giants merge, they scour the global market and Bangladesh is no exception. Consequently, Dettol and Harpic want to contribute towards the welfare of the country. A sanitary country is equal to a healthy nation and leads to an improved standard of living. Both brands are involved in trying to make people’s lives cleaner in Bangladesh, and their aim of raising awareness about hygiene has led to the launch of the campaign, “Dettol Porichchonno Bangladesh powered by Harpic”.
WHEN COMPANIES COLLABORATE, WE ALL WIN
While Harpic is synonymous with cleanliness, Dettol has morphed into a brand that embodies protection. In fact, so much so that the germ-killing Dettol is experiencing unprecedented growth in Bangladesh and sustainability within the 50 years that it has been in the national market. It has become the number one anti-bacterial soap in urban areas. However, it hasn’t always been easy sailing for the brand as it not only faces competition in the market but also has to tackle the uphill task of raising awareness, especially in trying to reach the deprived people at the bottom of the pyramid. In the same way, Harpic has an equally strong brand presence in the psyche of the average Bangladeshi. The legacy of this toilet-cleaner goes back to its introduction in Bangladesh, back in 1978. Its continuous innovation, uncompromising quality assurance, and well-crafted marketing communications have cemented its position as a reliant brand that offers a comprehensive range of toilet care products. Harpic’s marketing efforts of creating awareness and teaching people the importance of healthy toilet practices are reflective of its mission of creating healthier homes and happier lives. However, Harpic has faced challenges in its promotions of hygienic sanitation practices, as the penetration of toilet-cleaners, in general, is low in rural areas.
IT’S ALL ABOUT CLEANING WITH A CAUSE
With these respective brand values in mind, Porichchonno Bangladesh seeks to raise awareness of not just spreading knowledge of hygiene but also in inculcating hygienic behavior in people. Poricchonno Bangladesh strives to bridge that gap between knowledge and practice through raising awareness in these two inter-related steps: personal and community hygiene. The concept of the campaign is centered on the belief that the ones who practice personal hygiene are likely to propagate their behavior in the community.
The campaign pulled all stops to reach people as apart from launching a program Channel-I, telephonic communication, and mass media, the digital platform was used to reach people. The campaign didn’t stop there. In 2017, under personal hygiene Poricchonno Bangladesh directly visited 270,000 households to create awareness about toilet sanitation. They also provided hygiene knowledge to 150,000 new mothers on infant upbringing and gifted them hygiene kits. Apart from this, 120,000 students were given on-job training on proper hand washing. The masses were reached as well through the community hygiene wing of the campaign. Two highly popular activations, i.e. cleaning drives, were executed as well; one held at Gulshan 1 Lake and another one at BFDC and its adjacent areas. Apart from that, towards the end of 2017, Porichchonno Bangladesh launched its TV show with influential guests. The show has also attracted huge audiences.
Did Porichchonno Bangladesh manage to create the impact it had hoped for? Well, as it turns out, it did.
In 2017, under personal hygiene Poricchonno Bangladesh directly visited 270,000 households to create awareness about toilet sanitation. They also provided hygiene knowledge to 150,000 new mothers on infant upbringing and gifted them hygiene kits.
THE MULTIMEDIA MANIFESTO: ONE MEDIUM IS NEVER ENOUGH
The popularity of the different forms of media has led to the success of the campaign and showed the spread in awareness as people were actively engaged in the campaign. One of the communications that enjoyed massive success was the music video by Chirkutt, which garnered thousands of views, likes, and shares. The music video turned out to play a significant role in the campaign by managing to carve a place in people’s minds. One instance of this burgeoning success is the consumer involvement in the campaign. In one case, a Facebook group from Noakhali carried out a cleanliness campaign in a school, where around 400 students were given hands-on training in proper handwashing and overall cleanliness on a personal and community level. This is just one of the many examples of people who took initiatives on their own while being fuelled by the campaign. In fact, in terms of performance, Facebook as a platform received a tremendous response. Initially, the page had 100,000 followers but now the number has mushroomed to 160,000 and counting. All the contents of the Facebook page are managing to receive profound engagement. Out of numerous episodes, two of the most talked-about episodes were “New Mother & Child” health-related ones. On top of everything, the theme song of this campaign “Mon Sundor Jar, Se Rakhe Desh Poriskar” got more than 3,000,000 views, 100,000 likes, and 16,000 shares. Porichchonno Bangladesh campaign’s on-ground activity and Facebook engagement are taking the brands to higher heights of success.
THE INVOLVEMENT METRICS
Apart from direct engagement, the two common indicators used to measure the success of the campaign were Facebook engagement and active participation. The direct engagement itself was divided into two parts in Facebook for those who wanted to contribute to this campaign. One was personal and the other was organizational. A pledge board was opened and people were asked to put the working hours that they were willing to commit to Porichchonno Bangladesh. From the pledge board, 350,000 working hours was obtained under personal commitment level and 20 organizations committed more than 1,500 working hours. Moreover, the members of the Porichchonno Bangladesh Facebook page expressed interest in collaboration with the two brands and as a result, enthusiastically sent videos of themselves cleaning their surroundings and hence, provided motivation for others. The campaign received attention from television shows, radios as well as different organizations willing to join in on the campaign.
The campaign name itself is associated with two of Reckitt Benckiser’s most popular brands, hence popularity and acceptability of the campaign, along with its credibility, was inevitable.
Porichchonno Bangladesh had a social rather than a commercial objective. The brands themselves measured ROI associated with offtake, equity, and penetrations. But the real return for the brands was in their ability to raise awareness among people and garner consumer engagement in an issue as pressing as hygiene.
