HUL partners with UNICEF to support India's fight against COVID-19

Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) major Hindustan Unilever on Wednesday said it has collaborated with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for a mass communication campaign to inform and empower the general public against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The campaign brings together the marketing expertise and scale of HUL and the technical knowledge of UNICEF to create engaging communication tools that can help people change behaviours and stay safe during the pandemic, the company said in a release here.

HUL had recently committed Rs 100 crore in donations to help India fight the coronavirus crisis.

In addition to the campaign, it is rolling out many initiatives to ensure citizens across the country have access to essential products such as soaps, sanitisers and other products.

The mass media campaign, titled #BreakTheChain' or #VirusKiKadiTodo' will have simple and powerful 5 and 15 second informative assets to empower general public with prevention strategies to protect themselves against COVID-19.

Based on three key themes - social distancing, hand washing and generosity, the campaign will generate these short informative assets across India through television, news portals and prominent social media channels, it added.

"The need of the hour is simple and effective communication across both urban and rural India to help fight COVID-19 and our partnership with UNICEF aims to do just that. Along with UNICEF, we are also committed to working with the government and making essentials like Lifebuoy soaps, hand sanitisers and Domex cleaners available across a wide geography which is the most critical need today, HUL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta said.

The campaign will also seek support from media organisations, macro and micro social media influencers, thought leaders and celebrities in spreading the message.

"COVID-19 disease has thrown up many challenges and among them is getting the right information to everyone, no matter where they live and whatever their situation, in the shortest time possible. We hope that through this effort we are able to bridge the communication gaps by sharing information to contain the spread of the disease," UNICEF India Representative Yasmin Ali Haque added.