HOPE SOAP

I am loving local campaigns at the moment! I think our country is producing amazing work that is not only incredibly creative and cool, but resourcefully effective too. 

Dubbed the "Hope Soap" campaign, this one was produced by Y&R in partnership with Safety Lab. It was born out of a need to help combat the hygiene crisis in the small township of Blikkiesdorp in the Western Cape. The idea was quite simple. Get children to improve the state of their hygiene by inspiring them to wash their hands more frequently. Put a small toy inside a see-through bar of soap and make them want to keep washing to get to the toy! It was an ingenious way to make hand-washing a fun activity that children looked forward to, creating a positive connotation of the action. 

The campaign was loved around the world and was awarded the only two Silver Lions for South Africa in 2013. It won the awards for the Best Use of Guerrilla Marketing in a Promotional Campaign, and for the Public Health & Safety, Public Awareness Messages-category. Graham Lang, Chief Executive Officer of Y&R South Africa comments on the agency's achievements saying "it is great to see South African work feature at Cannes, we are very proud of our work and we want to share it internationally".

Work like this brings important issues to light and aids in bettering the way people live. It is inspiring and moving to see how effective campaigns can be in stimulating change, especially in a country where the simple action of washing hands can save lives. As an industry we strive to add value to people's lives, and the "Hope Soap" campaign is a brilliant example of how a small change can make a big difference. Lang comments saying "it goes to show that South Africans can find a solution to any problem".