Lifebuoy |  Unilever

Handle on Hygiene

The Market

VMLY&R COMMERCE Dubai/UAE

The Challenge

2020 is when the sense of hygiene turned into a default behavior. Five years earlier, Handle on Hygiene was coming into stores as an on the spot solution to sanitize a supermarket trolley’s handle. As the innovation became a necessity in 2020, we reaffirmed our commitment to providing sustainable retail hygiene solutions to to reach as many people, stores and brands across the world.

The Idea

In 2015, in partnership with Unilever and Barrows, we created a unique, world-first innovation that allows shoppers with a single swipe to apply a thin layer of Lifebuoy hand sanitizer liquid across trolley handles – killing 99.9% of germs in one go.  Deployed across more than 500 supermarkets over a two-year period, device messaging gave clear direction on how to use the handle with the Lifebuoy claim ‘Kills 99.9% of germs’. As customers touched food, swiped and then retouched the handle, their hands and handle were completely re-sanitized, protecting shoppers throughout their entire shopping journey.

This tried and tested technology was re-deployed in 2020 to offer retailers the opportunity to implement a safe, customer-first response in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. The re-launch saw an exclusive partnership with Unilever globally of a limited rollout of +500k devices worldwide.

Growth

In phases one (the Middle East - 2015/16) and two (Greater China - 2017) the campaign saw a 53% and 321% sales increase of the Lifebuoy sanitizer range respectively, demonstrating Lifebouy’s superior hygiene benefits to over 5 million shoppers per day.

The Handle on Hygiene device was featured in the UN Sustainability Summit and garnered 120 million global media impressions.

Whilst the mechanism has been successfully tried and tested in supermarkets around the globe, the technology is easily malleable enough to apply to airport trolleys, public transport handles and numerous other railing that see frequent public usage.

Recognition
  • Cannes, Silver (Health Lions - OTC Applications)
  • Cannes, Silver (Promo Lions - Use of Customer In-Store Experience)
  • Cannes, Bronze (Promo Lions - Fast Moving Consumer Goods)
  • Cannes, Bronze (Direct Lions - Targeted Ambient Media: Small Scale)
  • Cannes, Merit (Design Lions - Product Displays)
  • Cannes, Merit (Health Lions - Corporate Image & Communication)
  • Cannes, Merit (Health Lions - Education & Awareness)
  • Clio, Silver (Design)
  • Clio, Silver (Direct)
  • Clio, Silver (Out of Home)
  • Clio, Bronze (Engagement/Experiential)
  • Clio, Bronze (Direct)
  • Clio, Bronze (Innovative)
  • Effie, Bronze (Shopper Marketing)
  • Lynx, Best of Show (Outdoor: Ambient)
  • Lynx, Gold (Design: Promotional Item Design)
  • Lynx, Gold (Media: Product/Service)
  • Lynx, Gold (Promo & Activation: Use of Promo & Activation)
  • Lynx, Silver (Media: Use of Media)
  • Lynx, Silver (PR: Practices & Specialisms)
  • Lynx, Silver (PR: Product & Service)
  • Lynx, Silver (Promo & Activation: Product/Service)
  • Lynx, Bronze (Design: POS & Consumer Touchpoints)
  • Lynx, Merit (Design: Well-being, Environmental Impact & Solution)
  • Lynx, Merit (Direct: Product/Service)
  • Lynx, Merit (Direct: Use of Direct Marketing)
  • One Show, Merit (Design: P.O.P & In-Store)
  • One Show, Merit (Design: Promotional Items)
  • One Show, Merit (Design: Innovation Collateral Design)
  • One Show, Merit (Direct: Innovation in Direct Marketing)
  • One Show, Merit (Intellectual Property: Physical Product)
  • LIA, Silver (Design - Innovative Use of Design)
  • LIA, Bronze (Design - Instore Point of Sale)
  • AdStars, Silver (Design: Product & Services)
  • AdStars, Bronze (Promotion: Use of Media)
  • AdStars, Bronze (Direct: Ambient)
  • AdStars, Merit (Design: Promotional)
  • AdStars, Merit (Direct: Product & Service)
  • AdStars, Merit (Promotion: Product & Service)
  • The Loeries, Gold (Service Design)
  • The Loeries, Silver (Media Innovation)
  • The Loeries, Bronze (Ubuntu Award for Sustainable Marketing)