Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar becomes the world’s first ‘Hand Ambassador’ for Savlon Swasth India Mission’s novel campaign

In a unique marketing feat, Savlon Swasth India Mission roped in master blaster Sachin Tendulkar as the world’s first ‘Hand Ambassador’.While the brand coined this special term to catch the imagination of the public at large, the fundamental thought behind this campaign was to reinitiate the conversation around hand hygiene all over again with the masses for a healthier nation.

In 2017, an ICMR report stated that only 35% of Indians wash their hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet. But this changed drastically ever since the onset of the pandemic, with the widespread emphasis on the importance of hand hygiene as it lowers the risk of contamination by 36%. But as we move forward in a post-pandemic world, hand washing as a routine seems to have taken a backseat. In an effort to keep the conversation around hand hygiene alive, Savlon Swasth India drives home complex messages through various experiences. The fact that they have taken a novel approach by leveraging Sachin Tendulkar’s unique position sets this campaign apart from the rest.
The uniqueness of Savlon Swasth India Mission’s Hand Ambassador campaign stems from the fact that Sachin’s hand, which has been a source of many great achievements for Indian cricket, is now being leveraged to promote hand hygiene and encourage the habit of washing hands. The campaign's distinctive and eye-catching nature has created quite a stir on social media. With such an innovative campaign, Savlon Swasth India Mission aims to seed a behavioural change around something as simple as regular handwashing for better overall hygiene.

Additionally, to give the campaign an interactive spin, Sachin is seen lending a helping hand (quite literally) to ingrain the importance of hand hygiene for this campaign. In fact, he’s out high-fiving you and asking you to take a pledge to wash your hands regularly, not just to ward off COVID-19 but to keep other diseases at bay. So have you joined Sachin’s tribe and pledged to become a hand ambassador? Click here if you haven't already!
Washing hands regularly is one of the simplest and most effective ways to stop the spread of diseases. Handwashing with soap can reduce diarrhoea cases by up to 47% and respiratory infections by up to 23%, states a report by UNICEF. Hygiene has been and will continue to be highly critical. While the syntax of hygiene may have evolved, the need for it remains.

Since its inception in 2016, the Savlon Swasth India Mission programme by ITC has been actively promoting cleanliness across the country, keeping the conversation around hygiene alive. To teach the young, the Mission has covered 25,000 schools and has impacted as many as eight million children with its progressive outreach. Savlon Swasth India Mission has successfully inculcated a positive outlook towards hand hygiene habits among school-going children. The aim is for people to get habituated towards hand hygiene and inculcate it in everyday hygiene routine.

Speaking on the partnership with Savlon Swasth India Mission, Tendulkar said, “Hand hygiene has an important role in building a healthier nation. It has been a cause I have been involved with for several years. When the Savlon Swasth India Mission team presented a unique and fun way of spreading awareness about this serious topic, I was excited about the idea of lending my hand, quite literally, to this initiative. Together as a team, we all hope these engaging films drive behavioural change and promote responsible hand hygiene.”