The Touch Tally

Background

In the pandemic, hand-washing became increasingly important in preventing the spread of the virus, as well as seasonal colds and flu.

When schools opened their doors for the winter term, 60% of parents were calling for their children to have increased hand hygiene education. Lifebuoy responded by partnering with 426 schools across the UK to launch a hand hygiene programme.

Idea

The insight was simple: children get their hands on lots of crazy stuff. The challenge was to bring it to life in a way the media would love to write about and every parent could relate to. The idea was to follow three children, noting down every item that they touched over 24 hours. This research not only provided interesting data points but was coupled with an arresting visual based on a trend for flat-lay imagery. Everything Aaliyah, one of the three stars of the data collection, touched in a day became an infographic. The message of the campaign was that children learn by touching and investigating. What Lifebuoy wanted to do was kill the bacteria, not their curiosity.

Results

Released on Global Hand Washing Day, featuring everything from a hamster to a hula hoop, The Touch Tally earned strong coverage on parent blogs and social channels online and in press media.

Our Thoughts

I can’t find the latest figures but by August 2020, ad spend in the UK had seen a 50% decline since March. There has been a slow comeback, admittedly. Meanwhile, in a September report in PR Week, “almost half of UK PR agency chiefs expect revenue to remain flat or grow.” In other words, PR has not been laid as low by the virus and this campaign explains why. Firstly, it is interesting in itself, so editors will want to publish it, but secondly it is a very human story. People are interested in people.

That is the secret of all successful brand communication. Read Paul Feldwick on pages 15-17.