Singapore – Lifebuoy, Unilever’s hygiene soap brand, has teamed up with Moo Deng, the viral sensation baby pygmy hippopotamus, for its ‘H for Handwashing’ global movement, redefining the letter ‘H’ as a universal symbol for hand hygiene.
Created in collaboration with MullenLowe Singapore and MullenLowe Lintas India, the campaign features Moo Deng in her first-ever branded content video, ‘Confessions of Moo Deng.’
In the video, the beloved hippo humorously reveals her reluctance to follow her family’s legacy as the typical “H for Hippo” in the alphabet, preferring instead to give the letter ‘H’ a more impactful meaning for humans. Moo Deng believes she’s meant for more than just being the usual “H for Hippo.” After watching humans daily, she concludes that ‘H’ should stand for something more valuable: handwashing.
The campaign also debuts an AI-powered hippo teacher that comes to life to teach kids #HforHandwashing through interactive, personalised games, activities, and songs. Children and parents can access this engaging AI experience by scanning the QR code featured in the video.
Together with Moo Deng, Lifebuoy’s AI-Teacher Hippo marks a major step in Lifebuoy’s mission to make handwashing a lifelong habit for children worldwide. Since 2020, Lifebuoy has led the way in transforming hand hygiene education with its ‘H for Handwashing’ campaign.
Khim Yin Poh, global brand vice president at Lifebuoy said, “We are thrilled to work with the world’s most popular and adorable hippo Moo Deng, and the most tech-savvy and loving AI Teacher Hippo, for our ‘H for Handwashing’ campaign.”
“As the world’s number one selling germ protection soap, Lifebuoy’s global movement aims to forever change how the alphabet is taught, with the simple recommendation that the letter H should not stand for hippo, horse or house, but should instead become a ubiquitous symbol for handwashing. We believe having the endorsement of Moo Deng in her first ever branded content video will reinforce our important message for children and adults alike, as a step towards improving handwashing behavior around the world,” Poh added.
This Global Handwashing Day, Lifebuoy has joined forces with MullenLowe Singapore, MullenLowe Lintas India, Aircards, Microsoft, Columbia Business School, and leading experts in gaming, behavior change, hygiene, and education.
Vinay Vinayak, global business director at MullenLowe Singapore, said, “Every year Lifebuoy celebrates Global Handwashing Day as a marquee event, and this year, we want to reach out to more children and adults alike with our two new lovable champions: Moo Deng and AI-Teacher Hippo. While Moo Deng can win over audiences and convey the important message of handwashing through her adorable personality, AI-Teacher Hippo will be able to capture different children’s preferences by offering unique personalized experiences that make hygiene education both fun and unforgettable.”
Sarvesh Raikar, president – creative at MullenLowe Lintas India, also shared, “As the world is looking at innovative ways to use celebrities and influencers, we are proud of how we could use a unique global personality like Moo Deng to refresh our multi-country behavior-change campaign #HforHandwashing. Moo Deng (Hippos) was integral to the campaign idea and the video ‘Confessions of Moo Deng’ helps us deliver the core idea in an unsuspecting, memorable way.”
Lifebuoy’s global ‘H for Handwashing’ movement has embedded essential hygiene practices into school curriculums worldwide through partnerships with parents, educators, governments, NGOs, and organizations like Sesame Workshop. This initiative has reached over 14 million children across 35 countries.