AWARDS :

FINALIST

SUB CATEGORY :

BEST USE OF AMBIENT: SMALL SCALE

COMPANY ENTERING :

LEO BURNETT SOLUTIONS INC, COLOMBO

ENTRY TITLE :

THE WORLD'S FIRST SOAP BUS TICKET

BRAND :

ASIRI GROUP OF HOSPITALS

ADVERTISER :

ASIRI GROUP OF HOSPITALS

AGENCY :

LEO BURNETT SOLUTIONS INC., COLOMBO

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :

TREVOR KENNEDY

CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

ERAJ WIRASINHA

COPYWRITER :

ERAJ WIRASINHA/ROSHANA RASHEED/MALAKA SAMITH

ART DIRECTOR :

NADEERA WARAWITA/SITHUM WALTER/SHAYANI OBEYESEKERA/
HASSAN SAMDIN/AJANTHA KUMARA/CHANDIKA SAMARAWEERA

ILLUSTRATOR :

PRASAD CHATHURANGA

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR :

SELONICA NALAWANSA/FIRZAN MULAFER

HEAD OF BRAND PLANNING :

MURTAZA A.TAJBHOY

PR DIRECTOR :

CARYLL VANDORT

SENIOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION :

ERANGA HEMAJITH

AGENCY PRODUCER :

MEHNAZ ILHAMDEEN

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :

X-TEN PRODUCTIONS (PVT) LTD, COLOMBO

POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY :

X-TEN PRODUCTIONS (PVT) LTD, COLOMBO

EDITOR :

CHATHURANGA SURAJ

THE BRIEF :

WASHING YOUR HANDS IS THE EASIEST WAY TO PREVENT EVERYTHING FROM A COMMON COLD TO THE FLU TO SERIOUS ILLNESSES LIKE HEPATITIS. ASIRI HOSPITALS, AS PART OF ITS COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION, STRONGLY BELIEVED ALL SRI LANKANS SHOULD KNOW THIS.

THE STRATEGY :

ASIRI HOSPITALS, HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS TO SRI LANKANS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, WANTED TO REACH OUT AND SHOW THAT IT WAS INNOVATIVE AND MODERN AND GENUINELY CARED ABOUT PEOPLE’S HEALTH. IN SRI LANKA, LOTS OF PEOPLE RIDE LOTS OF BUSES EVERYDAY MAKING THEM IDEAL FOR SPREADING GERMS. BUT INSTEAD OF JUST EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT IT, WE CAME UP WITH WAY TO HELP SRILANKANS DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. WE DEVELOPED THE WORLD’S FIRST SOAP BUS TICKET. PEOPLE COULD NOW WASH THEIR HANDS AND PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM GERMS – SOMETHING THEY COULDN’T DO BEFORE BECAUSE MOST PUBLIC TOILETS DON’T HAVE SOAP.

THE EXECUTION :

USING PAPER FUSED WITH SOAP AND WORKING CLOSELY WITH BUS OPERATORS, SPECIAL TICKET ROLLS WERE DEVELOPED THAT COULD BE USED IN A CONDUCTOR’S TICKET MACHINE. THEN, DURING THE TRADITIONAL SRI LANKAN NEW YEAR, THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME OF THE YEAR FOR TRAVEL, THE WORLD’S FIRST SOAP BUS TICKET WAS LAUNCHED. GIVEN ON MANY OF SRI LANKA’S BUSIEST ROUTES, POSTERS AND SIGNBOARDS EDUCATING AND INFORMING PEOPLE WERE ALSO PUT UP INSIDE BUSES WITH ANNOUNCEMENTS MADE AT EVERY MAJOR STOP. INFORMATION WAS ALSO POSTED AT STATIONS, BUS HALTS AND PUBLIC TOILETS AS WELL AS AT ASIRI HOSPITALS THEMSELVES.

THE RESULT :

THE SOAP BUS TICKET WAS A UNIQUE INNOVATION THAT HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON SRI LANKANS REGARDLESS OF AGE, GENDER, SOCIAL BACKGROUND OR ECONOMIC STATUS. IT NOT ONLY EDUCATED PEOPLE BUT ENCOURAGED THEM TO START A POSITIVE HABIT THAT STOPPED GERMS AND KEPT THEM SAFE. IN A NATION WHERE THE STATE PROVIDES FREE HEALTHCARE AND PRIVATE HOSPITALS ARE CONSTANTLY PERCEIVED AS COLD AND UNCARING, THE WORLD’S FIRST SOAP BUS TICKET SHOWED ASIRI HOSPITALS WAS NOT JUST DRIVEN BY PROFIT BUT GENUINELY CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE’S WELLBEING.