Our product is an over-the-counter anti-bacterial soap. The Philippines has no special regulations that apply to such products.

PROBLEM

Every year, thousands of children acquire hand-borne illnesses. Handwashing with antibacterial soap kills 99.9% of germs that cause these illnesses. The problem, however, is that kids don’t wash their hands because they don’t see the germs.

SOLUTION

We created germs kids could see and put it on something they love: stamps. Teachers stamped students everyday. To remove the stamp, students had to wash their hands with Safeguard for 30 seconds – the same time it takes to kill 99.9% of germs.

RESULTS

After just one month, regular hand washing in schools increased by 71%. Teachers also reported that sick days fell by almost half. This turned Safeguard into a champion in the fight against hand-borne illnesses. The clients were so happy with its success that they are now bringing it to China, Pakistan, and Mexico.

We wanted to encourage kids to wash their hands more often, so they can avoid deadly hand-borne illnesses and germs.

After designing and producing the stamps, we gave them to teachers in Bohol, Philippines. They stamped their students everyday for a month (November 19 to December 18, 2012). They observed their students during the month Germ Stamp was used and documented their findings.

The Germ Stamp was the perfect solution to the problem because it made germs visible to kids. Because of this, they had a greater urge to wash them off their hands. The Germ Stamp also made hand washing more fun, so kids had more initiative to do it.

The execution was also perfect for the brand because Safeguard is all about killing hand-borne germs and illnesses. Germ Stamp also encouraged hand washing with antibacterial soap, which is exactly what Safeguard is.

The stamp was a hit. The kids found it fun, so they were more than happy to get the stamp and wash it away. They loved it so much that they stamped the germs on each other. Noticing this behavior, the teachers made it a part of the kids' daily routine.

But what's amazing is that after just one month, regular handwashing in schools increased by 71%. Teachers also reported that sick days fell by almost half. This turned Safeguard into a champion in the fight against hand-borne illnesses.

The client was so happy with the result that they are now bringing it to China, Pakistan, and Mexico.

To achieve our goal, we knew we needed to address the issues that stop kids from washing their hands.

So we created germs kids could see and put them on something kids love: a stamp. We gave the stamps to teachers and they stamped their students everyday. To remove the stamp, students had to wash their hands with Safeguard for 30 seconds – the same amount of time it takes to kill 99.9% of germs.

The stamp was a perfect medium to achieve the goal because it was able to make germs visible to kids. Stamps are also inherently fun, so kids were more than happy to use them.

Every year, thousands of children in the Philippines fall victim to hand-borne illnesses. The simple act of hand washing with an antibacterial soap kills 99.9% of the germs that cause these illnesses.

The problem, however, is that kids don't wash their hands because they don't see the germs. They're not going to bother to take out what they can't see in the first place.

To make matters worse, these kids also find the act of hand washing absolutely boring. And they won't voluntarily do anything that they don't find fun.