Background

Malaria is one of the major public health problems in India. With children 5 times more vulnerable to this disease, their cases were witnessing a sudden outbreak — especially in the Bareilly district of India. The district accounted for 50% of the malaria cases in the biggest state of India, Uttar Pradesh. Hence, Bareilly became the number one priority for Mortein, a trusted name in household insecticide, to act and achieve India's goal of being Malaria-free by 2030.

Instead of using modern science to combat this threat, mothers believed in applying two Black Dots (Kaala Teeka) on children every day. There is a strong belief amongst Indian mothers that applying 2 Teeka (black dots) will protect their children from all harm and ward off the evil eye.

Idea

Applying 2 Kaala Teeka (black dots) to protect children from the evil eye is an age-old practice in Indian households. The mention of this is also found in the 2400-year-old Mahabharata, the most revered book in Hindu religion. But the modern evil, Malaria, is now threatening the health of children, and mothers were unable to find an absolute way to protect their little ones. So, Dentsu Creative India and Morten used these traditions that mothers followed everyday and converted it into a life-saving solution.

Execution

With data gathered from the Global Fund Project and WHO, studies from the National Institute of Health to investigate Malaria cases in various parts of India. Dentsu Creative India identified that children are the focus for this campaign, since they are more vulnerable to Malaria. The Indian Census Data helped the agency ascertain the number of children, mothers and households in Bareilly that they could approach.

An on-ground awareness program was launched which was spearheaded by the brand's volunteers and local health workers, as well as the traditional baby Maalish (massage) ladies helping out in spreading awareness. Dentsu Creative India deployed a door-to-door distribution campaign to reach the product directly into the hands of mothers. An educational program was also deployed for maximum reach. 

The initiative launched in the Bareilly district in India and soon enough, would be deployed across multiple districts and areas in India which had high occurrences of Malaria cases.

Results

In Bareilly, this campaign resulted in 4,380+ children being protected from malaria, over 750 families impacted and it also garnered 97% adoption rate among mothers after the initial distribution drive. The important aspect was that mothers across all villages preferred to use the Suraksha Ka Teeka over the traditional Kaala Teeka.

This product helped Mortein, the brand, establish the position of an expert in household mosquito repellents. The Suraksha Ka Teeka not only ensured protection to not just children but it also built hope for their families too. For families, every healthy child meant that an entire generation was protected. Now, children can thrive healthily, without any threat to their lives. It also saved them from other fatal mosquito-borne diseases.