Hindustan Lever Limited Case Study

1. What is the innovation that HLL introduced in the area of diarrheal disease prevention?

• The innovation that Hindustan Lever Limited introduced in the area of diarrhea disease prevention is to educate the poor about the need to wash hands with soap.

2. Why is hand washing an excellent preventive measure against diarrheal disease?

• Research on preventive behaviors for diarrheal disease shows that washing hands with soap could significantly reduce incidences of infection. In 1988, research conducted by the WHO showed that washing hands with soap reduced diarrhea attacks by 48 percent. A evidence review by Valerie Curtis and Sandy Cairncross found handwashing with soap could cut diarrheal disease by 42 percent to 46 percent.[1]

3. Why is an MNC in the best position to influence behavioral change in combating diarrheal disease?

• Because MNCs sell soap, a product that can address diarrheal disease, and they have a built-in incentive to successfully create the required behavioral changes. It has a marketing expertise to craft communication messages and direct contact programs that can bring about behavioral change[2].

4. According to Yuri Jain of HLL, what is the connection between diarrheal disease prevention and HLL products?

• It’s one way on preventing diarrheal disease.

5. According to Harpreet Singh Tibb, what is the connection for HLL between economy, beauty and health?

• As stated in the article, “If you establish why health is important or why soaps can contribute to reducing germ incidents and perhaps save [consumers] medical bills through long-term associations, I think you have a winner right there.”

• This basically means that aside from gaining preventive measures against diarrhea, the fact that it’s hygienic and not costly gives a lot of assistance.

6. What was the impact of the Central American Hand washing Initiative to its beneficiaries?

• The Initiative developed hand washing education messages that each private partner incorporated into its own marketing campaigns[3].

8. If you were in a position to decide how to go ahead with PPP while knowing the opposition how would you go about it?

• Criticism is another way of knowing that there is something to be change, therefore I will make a stand for the implantation of the project and continue to educate the people affected of the said disease.

9. How did Lifebuoy re-brand itself? Do you agree with HLL Chairman Marvinder Sing Banga's decision? Why?

• Lifebuoy re-brand itself by introducing a new slogan that says “Making a billion Indians feel safe and secure wherever they are by focusing on their health and hygiene needs” that makes a lot of change for the consumer to be much aware.

• I agree with the chairman’s view about the change because it will surely make them aware and gather criticism to a rest.

10. What is Chairman Banga's approach to costing Lifebuoy? Do you agree with this approach?

• The costing approach is that “Lifebuoy is priced to be affordable to the masses. . . . Very often in business you find that people do cost-plus pricing. They figure out what their cost is and then they add a margin and figure that’s their selling price” which for me is very lucrative since it’s the best option for the people to the people at the bottom of the pyramid be moved by the preposition.

11. What is the key to sustained community behavioral change according to Harpreet Singh Tibb?

• As stated, “If it’s going to multiple contacts, it has to be low-cost. It has to be a scalable and sustainable program. It has to be interactive because you’re trying to get a behavioral change. And the cost of reaching out to villages in rural India is very, very expensive.”

12. The Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna program decided to go through the local school system? Would this approach work in the Philippines?

• Yes, it’s actually implemented in the Philippines. DepED initiate local and public school teachers to teach their students of proper hand washing, they produce kits to be given to every student in the school. Also, there are concerned Non-government organizations that help with these campaigns just like Save the Children Federation.

13. What is the Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna’s process for creating behavioral change?

• They develop a methodology where the exposure is based on the initiation and information, second exposure is for large scale preparation and the next is the Reinforcement and preparing for sustainability.

14. Each exposure in the behavioral change process involved 5 key communication tactics? Can you add or subtract to these tactics? Would these tactics work in the Philippines?

• As of my opinion, it is latest that these process be implemented as it is. As of this idea going to work in the Philippines context, well definitely yes but since it’s already establish makes it a lot of fun.

15. Explain the germ-glow demonstration. Do you think it was effective? Are there any alternatives?

• The glow-germ powder represents germs and how they are affected by soap. The glow-germ powder is applied to the hands of two separate participants. One participant then washes her hands using water and the other uses both soap and water. Once immersed in water, the glow-germ powder becomes invisible, so both pairs of hands appear to be visually clean.[4]

16. How did you think the Swasthya Chetna program impact HLL? Was it a success?

• Yes, it’s a success but the sales might be affected to some parts of the country.

17. How can wealthier Indian populations benefit from the health and hygiene messages?

• Hand washing habits might be similar across various populations, which suggests an opportunity to reach out with direct contact campaigns to all socioeconomic populations to transform hand washing behavior and greatly increase the frequency of hand washing and soap sales[5].

18. Is the PPP scalable? What about the Swasthya Chetna program?

• The PPP is initially reaching a smaller number of people than Swastya Chetna; it aims to reach 49 million people in its first year of operation, whereas Swasthya Chetna will reach over 70 million people by the end of this year. [6] It would be a major success.

19. Yuri Jain claims that PPP has scale. Do you agree with him?

• I’m not determined but somehow the parts of the implementation are quite unmanageable especially when the product sale is concern.

20. Why do you think PPP was slowed down while the Swasthya Chetna program pushed through?

• Because of a lot of programs and implementation initiatives being made by the organization themselves.

[1] Selling Health: Hindustan Lever Limited and the Soap Market, p. 209

[2] Selling Health: Hindustan Lever Limited and the Soap Market, p. 210

[3] Selling Health: Hindustan Lever Limited and the Soap Market, p. 216

[4] Selling Health: Hindustan Lever Limited and the Soap Market, p. 227

[5] Selling Health: Hindustan Lever Limited and the Soap Market, p. 230

[6] Selling Health: Hindustan Lever Limited and the Soap Market, p. 231