Background

A majority of Filipinos believe that covering their mouths with a tissue is enough to stop their germs from spreading. But the fact is, the most effective way to stop germs from spreading is to kill them by washing one's hands using antibacterial soaps.

Aim

P&G wanted to launch a campaign that would continue to push the habit of hand-washing with Safeguard as the most effective way to prevent the spread of illnesses particularly to children who are the most susceptible to disease-causing germs.

Execution

Ace Saatchi & Saatchi created a fictitious tissue brand called Sneeze n Sniffles. While its outer appearance gives a look of a normal box of tissues, once opened it revealed a different face of a child printed on each tissue. 

The agency used children's faces because kids are more susceptible to contagious diseases such as coughs, colds and flu. Underneath each face is the message, 'This tissue won't stop your germs reaching him/ her.

The tissue packs were then given away for free at highly populated public areas where germs are more easily spread, including subway stations, markets, shopping malls, airports and universities.

Results

The campaign succeeded in convincing Filipinos to stop grabbing tissues and start using hand soap to wash away germs.

95 per cent of commuters surveyed said that the tissues compelled them to wash their hands at least twice a day. In addition, the campaign generated further attention by being featured in blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites.