THE CHALLENGE

Indonesia has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, with up to 1 in 10 children dying before the age of 5.

When a child falls ill in rural Indonesia, mothers face difficulty getting doctor access leading to entrenched beliefs of delaying doctor visits. Common illnesses that children under five experience, such as pneumonia and other high-fever illnesses, go undetected and turn critical without timely medical intervention.

With Lifebuoy soap in 7 out of 10 Indonesian homes and a symbol of health and hygiene in the country, we saw an opportunity to grow Lifebuoy from a hygiene brand to a proactive health management brand and empower Indonesians to have greater access and more authority as it relates to public health.

THE STRATEGY

We wanted a brand activity that put the solution directly into the hands of our target audience of parents, caregivers and those in remote areas.

So we created Lifebuoy Diagnosticker: a thermosensitive, accurate, reusable thermometer designed into Lifebuoy’s soap bar packaging to help with early fever detection. The packaging includes a QR code that directly links to a free doctor consultation, which allows for a simple, free and effective way for anyone to accurately read early signs of a child’s fever and have a doctor at hand.

By integrating technology with everyday essentials, Lifebuoy has turned a bar of soap into a first line of defense, transforming the fight against childhood diseases.

We equip Indonesians with potentially life-saving information and tools, embedding the potential for better health into the fabric of daily life and placing access to proactive healthcare right into people’s hands.

THE EXECUTION

The first stage of production was the soap packaging design, with the addition of the thermosensitive, accurate, reusable thermometer and QR code into the Lifebuoy pack.

Next, we ran a Community Outreach Program, in collaboration with Halodoc (telehealth partner) and Bandung Health Polytechnic (NGO) to distribute Lifebuoy Diagnosticker to 12 village communities in West Java, Indonesia. Two hundred thousand (200,000) Indonesians were educated on how to use the thermometer to detect fever and scan the QR code to video call for a doctor immediately when the thermometer reports a high fever.

We planned a nation-wide media launch targeting Indonesia's news, health, and parenting sectors, extending our reach across APAC. The outreach resulted in +177 media mentions, resonated with an audience of 335.8 million and amplified awareness on the importance of early fever detection and timely medical care. Through targeted media dissemination, we showed the critical need for accessible healthcare solutions and improved public health outcomes.

THE OUTCOME

Lifebuoy Diagnosticker achieved widespread awareness across Indonesia and APAC and allowed us to develop lasting consumer relationships and grow into a trusted health partner.

• 200,000 people in villages situated in Bandung and Subang region, West Java, engaged in the community outreach program
• +2.5 million lives transformed in West Java, Indonesia
• +177 media mentions across Indonesia & Asia Pacific with a total of USD210K PR value