Lifebuoy has injected itself, not entirely comfortably, into a tribute to Indonesia and its real-life heroes. But what a tribute it is.
The glorious three-and-half-minute film by MullenLowe Singapore, MullenLowe Lintas India and MullenLowe Lintas Indonesia shows how Lifebuoy, Indonesia’s hygiene soap, has been protecting the dreams of children and the nurturing of their parents for 90 years, and how children’s dreams have fashioned some of Indonesia’s national heroes – creating milestones in history and everyday moment of inspiration. Lifebuoy is also threaded into the film’s message that no dream is realised in a day but needs to be protected every day — and this begins with a healthy body, protecting ourselves from illness.
That message taps into the resurgence of infectious diseases in the world, with cases higher than before the pandemic in many regions, underscoring the importance of hygiene soaps offering germ protection during this post-pandemic era.
The film was launched just before Indonesia’s 79th Independence Day celebrations in August and is running throughout the year. It features national and everyday heroes such as Indonesia’s first Olympic Gold winner, Susy Susanti; Indonesia’s first world boxing champion, Ellyas Pical; ‘Disability Womenpreneur’, Nicky Clara; and sculptor, Fransisca Ardiyusanti.
Khim Yin Poh, global vice president, Lifebuoy, stated, “Lifebuoy has been serving generations of Indonesians by helping them stay protected from illness since 1934. Our 90th anniversary milestone was the perfect occasion to not only reaffirm Lifebuoy’s commitment to protecting people’s good health and dreams in Indonesia for now and for the next 90 years, but also to express our gratitude to thank Indonesians for the privilege of being a part of their lives for many years.
“We wanted to feature renowned individuals who have achieved greatness, who are also real people with real aspirations and families behind them. Some of the featured celebrities also turned out to be long-term Lifebuoy users, bringing in a sense of their own family’s history with the brand, which enriched the campaign further.”
A press conference was held to launch the film, featuring real-life local heroes Susy Susanti and Nickly Clara as speakers. The campaign was amplified by mainstream media coverage as well as social media content by influencers and celebrities, and 30-second cutdowns of the film on various digital and e-commerce platforms such as TikTok.
Vinay Vinayak, global business director, MullenLowe Singapore,commented, “Lifebuoy is a pioneer for the prevention of illness through a germ protection soap. In its 90th year in Indonesia, we thought it would be fitting to create a heartfelt reminder for people with the message that dreams are not realised in a day, but in fact they need to be nurtured and protected every day, just like good health. Preventing the outbreak of infectious diseases is becoming more important than ever, but we know that dry statistics are usually not very compelling in helping people proactively adopt good hygiene habits, so we wanted to find an emotional way to get Lifebuoy’s message of hygiene across. Early reactions to the campaign have been positive and we believe this trajectory will continue over the coming months.”
