How Savlon hacked hip-hop to make handwashing cool

Delhi: Washing hands is one of the many things that children can not be convinced to do. 

Understanding this popular act of rebellion amongst kids, Savlon along with Ogilvy launched the Swasth India Mission to show that Haath Dhona Cool Hai (it is cool to wash hands). 

Tracing the popular action of ‘rubbing hands together’ in almost every hip-hop video, Savlon hacked it as the ‘washing hands’ step, thereby reaching out to kids in the language of ‘coolness.’ 

Last year in November, In collaboration with rapper Emiway Bantai, Savlon set out to captivate kids into washing hands by making it a ‘cool trend.’

Along with top influencers and memes pages, Savlon with their ITC ‘Bantais’ have also leaned on user-generated content for support, as they received hundreds of videos of viewers washing their hands. 

Individuals engaged with the handwashing hook step, generating content for over 26 hours, all through organic means. 

This initiative of making handwashing cool could effectively foster behavioural change.