Lifebuoy, Unilever’s largest hygiene soap brand, has teamed up with Moo Deng, the viral baby pygmy hippo, for its global ‘H for Handwashing’ campaign. This campaign aims to make the letter ‘H’ a universal symbol for handwashing, teaching children the importance of hygiene through fun and engaging methods.
In Moo Deng’s first-ever branded video, “Confessions of Moo Deng,” the hippo humorously shares her desire not to follow in her family’s footsteps as ‘H for Hippo’ in alphabet books. Instead, Moo Deng believes the letter H should stand for something more meaningful—handwashing. After observing humans and their habits, Moo Deng encourages everyone to scan a QR code to access an AI-powered hippo teacher. This teacher, called AI-Teacher Hippo, helps children learn about handwashing through interactive games, activities, and songs.
The campaign is a significant step forward in Lifebuoy’s ongoing mission to make handwashing a lifelong habit for children worldwide. Lifebuoy’s ‘H for Handwashing’ initiative, which started in 2020, has already reached millions of children across 35 countries, promoting essential hygiene education in schools.
Khim Yin Poh, Global Brand VP of Lifebuoy, expressed excitement about working with Moo Deng and AI-Teacher Hippo to inspire children and adults alike to prioritize handwashing. As the number one selling germ protection soap globally, Lifebuoy aims to change the way the letter ‘H’ is taught, shifting its meaning from hippo to handwashing.
The campaign also highlights the urgent need for better hygiene services in schools, with 646 million children still lacking basic hygiene facilities. AI-Teacher Hippo plays a crucial role in educating children about germ transmission, when to wash hands, and the proper steps for effective handwashing.
Vinay Vinayak from MullenLowe Singapore and Sarvesh Raikar from MullenLowe Lintas India, both of whom collaborated on the campaign, emphasized the innovative approach of using Moo Deng to capture attention while using AI to offer personalized, fun hygiene education experiences.
With partnerships from various organizations and experts, this Global Handwashing Day, Lifebuoy continues to drive the message of hygiene, reaching new audiences through Moo Deng’s charm and the educational power of AI.
Access AI-Teacher Hippo on your smartphone or tablet here.
Credits
Brand: Lifebuoy
Client: Unilever
Agency: MullenLowe Lintas India and MullenLowe Singapore
Creative Team: Sarvesh Raikar, Joybrato Dutta, Theodor Sandu, Nhu Tran, Prashant Pawar, Modhurenu Dutta
Account: Vinay Vinayak, Sharmine Panthaky, Prathamesh Kulkarni, Mehak Parikh
Creative Producer: Fuzzy Abideen
Client: Khim-Yin Poh, Parnil Sarin, Aarti Daryanani, Payal Shah, Amanpreet Singh, Anwesha Mishra, Sneha Raghavendra, Diane Lim, Alokedeep Singh
Production Partners: Bullet, Bangkok
Director: James Teh, Amit Pandirkar
Music: Aman Pant
Post House: SKD Studio (Sunil Kumar Dwivedi)
Tech Partners: Aircards
