Timely intervention / As of August, Pakistan is facing a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, with a reported 5,029 cases on 31 July, the highest since 29 April, when 5,112 infections were reported. While the government has issued guidelines to protect the public, including around social distancing, people in the country are ignoring directives. Here, Dettol has found a timely and elegant solution that speaks the brand’s purpose in ‘helping to prevent illness causing germs’. By designing, printing and handing out the mats at mosques, Dettol goes well beyond lip service.
Nudge nudge / Influencing behaviour is a tricky business, certainly in the midst of a health crisis as people contend with a swirl of rising death rates, misinformation and government guidance. Instead of rolling out stern warnings or telling people to socially distance, Dettol and agencies Impact BBDO and BBDO Pakistan opted for a smarter nudge to encourage safer worship – after all, as Richard Thaler, co-author of Nudge, notes: ‘If you want people to do something, make it easy.’
Speaking to Contagious, Impact BBDO MENAP’s Ali Rez said: ‘Warnings and directives had already been issued in the country, but were mostly being ignored. We felt that a more engaging and personal approach would resonate more powerfully. The personal prayer mat which one takes to the mosque to pray on thus became the medium, not only to serve as a reminder to oneself, but to politely request others to also take care through this recent pandemic wave.’
Brand building / Dettol’s larger Hoga Saaf (safe) initiative has been working towards a cleaner and healthier Pakistan since 2017 through outreach and education programmes. The Social Distancing Prayer Mat slots right in with this run of activations, reasserting the brand’s purpose and activism by helping people live their daily lives as safely as possible. Impact BBDO’s Ali Rez told Contagious: ‘Success for this campaign would be what Dettol is trying to achieve as a larger goal: to help build a healthier, safer, and cleaner Pakistan. With this simple, insightful design innovation, we aim to protect people’s lives while giving them the opportunity to go about their daily routines normally – of which praying in a mosque is an important part.’ By delivering on its purpose time and again, Dettol ensures it is front of mind in Pakistan when people think of cleanliness. And although Dettol had the good sense to not crowbar its branding in where it wouldn’t be wanted, its initiative is noteworthy enough for people to talk about and share it.
