Lifebuoy adds play to school pumps, brings them to life

HUL’s soap brand Lifebuoy has effected an activation across 1,500 schools that are part of the ‘Mid-day meal’ programme in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, to bring water hand pumps to life.

The objective is to make the heavy water pumps easy and fun for school children to use, so that they can wash their hands with soap before their meal.

The project kicked off on 21 April and will run until 15 May, by which time the agency hopes to attain the target of 1,500 schools. In Uttar Pradesh, the project is on in Azangarh, Unnao and Rae Barelli, with plans to expand to two more districts. In Maharashtra, the project is on in Aurangabad.

“The horses are made of wood with the base made of mild steel. Mild steel provides strength to the structure while wood makes it safe for kids to use. Horses are installed with the help of a screw and do no harm to the hand pump. It’s like an add-on which can be easily removed and installed by the school authority,” explained an agency note on the activity.

Vipul Salvi, national creative director, Geometry Global, India, said, "We need to keep pushing the limits of creativity to help solve basic problems like poor hygiene.. the great thing about the Jump Pump is that it worked like a charm with kids while being cost-effective and easy to implement."

Rahul Saigal, president, Geometry Global, India, added, "Sometimes the best way to teach kids an important lesson is to distract them into learning. You can't engage children by mere preaching, you need to talk to them in a language they understand: the language of play!

George Koshy, general manager (skin cleansing), HUL, said, "Lifebuoy has a proud history of being a brand that stands for saving lives. It is indeed our mission to ensure that hand washing with soap becomes a habit for children, as a step to reducing diarrheal mortality. The ‘Jump Pump’ activation is an innovative approach, appealing to children in a manner that is fun and enjoyable."

Watch a music video based on the activation here:

As part of the exercise, schools that are part of the project are also provided with soaps (Rs. 5 Lifebuoy soap bar) for a month.

Credits

Activation agency: Team Geometry Global India
NCD: Vipul Salvi
President: Rahul Saigal