Indonesia – Lifebuoy, Unilever’s iconic hygiene soap brand, has enlisted the expertise of creative agencies MullenLowe Singapore, MullenLowe Lintas India, and MullenLowe Lintas Indonesia for its 90th anniversary campaign, which honours Indonesia’s rich history and celebrates everyday heroes.
Coinciding with Indonesia’s 79th Independence Day celebrations, Lifebuoy’s campaign presents a heartfelt film that pays tribute to the nation by featuring real-life national and everyday heroes, including Indonesia’s first Olympic Gold medallist Susy Susanti, the country’s first world boxing champion Ellyas Pical, ‘Disability Womenpreneur’ Nicky Clara, and sculptor Fransisca Ardiyusanti.
The campaign is part of Lifebuoy’s celebration of 90 years of protecting the dreams of generations of Indonesians. By shining a spotlight on the country’s national icons, the campaign aims to inspire Indonesians with the stories of fellow citizens who have pursued their dreams.
The campaign film weaves in the powerful message that no dream is realised in a day but must be nurtured and protected daily—starting with maintaining a healthy body and safeguarding ourselves from illness.
Khim Yin Poh, global vice president at Lifebuoy, said, “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,” Poh added.
As part of the campaign, Lifebuoy hosted a press conference featuring Susy Susanti and Nickly Clara, both of whom are highlighted in the film, as speakers. The campaign received further amplification through mainstream media coverage and social media content shared by influencers and celebrities. Additionally, 30-second versions of the video were created and distributed across various digital and e-commerce platforms, including TikTok.
Vinay Vinayak, global business director of MullenLowe Singapore, said, “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.”
