Hygiene Poverty

National love brand Kruidvat aims to make feeling healthy, pretty and good accessible to everyone. While the cost of living keeps rising, the drugstore maintains affordable prices and wants to stand up to hygiene poverty, a growing problem in our society. In ‘24, Kruidvat launched a campaign to raise awareness of this issue, using the brand’s impact for good. ACE PR guided the love brand in its mission, with success!

At ACE PR, creative campaigns are part of our daily routine. Nonetheless, it’s a true PR campaign with social purpose that makes our hearts beat faster. So when we were able to contribute to Kruidvat’s ‘24 campaign to raise awareness of hygiene poverty, we jumped aboard immediately.  

Speaking with Gosse de Reus, Senior Consultant for Kruidvat, we discuss the successful PR campaign.

The issue of hygiene poverty sounds serious. Why is Kruidvat the right force to tackle the issue and thus the right messenger for this campaign?

“Kruidvat aims to make feeling healthy, pretty and good accessible to everyone, so the campaign goals align with their daily efforts to sustain their mission. As a national love brand and market leader within the health- and beauty segment, Kruidvat is a strong force and able to make a difference.

The brand puts their mission into practice; that’s why Kruidvat partnered up with Stichting Armoedefonds in ‘23. Subsequently, as part of the ‘24 campaign, Kruidvat initiated their ‘1+1+1’ promotions, offering a free product for both the consumer and the Armoedefonds, when buying one of the promoted products.

Using a platform to make an actual difference, that’s what social purpose is all about - and that’s what Kruidvat embodies.” 

These are some big words! How did you follow through with your PR strategy?

“It’s important to realise that hygiene poverty is a highly relevant, yet mostly invisible issue to the public eye. It’s an abstract problem. Therefore, to stimulate action, one must create (factual) awareness, and stimulate emotional engagement at the same time. We brought this about through a phased approach:

      (1) In June ‘24, PR kicked off with the publication of the first national Hygiene Poverty Report, based on research by IPSOS and I&O for Kruidvat and Armoedefonds. The scale of the issue was highlighted: 1 in 7 Dutch citizens has trouble with their supply of basic hygiene products, like tooth paste or sanitary pads, due to poverty. These people tend to hold back on social interactions and are prone to both health- and mental issues. 

The combination of data, societal impact and trustworthy messaging, by partnering with Armoedefonds, created urgency. Media were alarmed and coverage spread from publications by AD and RTL News, to interviews and op-eds. 

      (2) Subsequently, we used the momentum of World Poverty Day in October, to give a face to this abstract issue. We shed light on multiple personal stories from people with lived experience, both through PR and above the line media. We tapped into the ‘identifiable victim effect’: a psychological phenomenon, illustrating that it’s more likely for people to relate with the issue and to help people out, if one can identify with other’s problems. Doing so, we leveraged the stories for media interviews. For above the line media, Kruidvat produced a film, titled ‘Pure Luxury’, together with WeFilm and DDB, that brought the stories to life. The alignment of PR and marketing was a prime example of strong and in depth storytelling, resulting in awareness, personal identification and the increase of donations during the ‘1+1+1’ promotions.”

A sound strategy, did it deliver?

“Absolutely! On a quantitative level, we reached lots of coverage. But more importantly, research partner DVJ Insights was able to measure our qualitative impact in ‘24 Q4:

• Awareness of hygiene poverty rose from 48% to 65% (goal 58%)
• Association of Kruidvat with action against hygiene poverty rose from 30% to 57% (goal 40%)
• Awareness of the Armoedefonds partnership rose from 27% to 47% (goal 37%)

The campaign successfully put hygiene poverty on the map, humanized the topic, and reinforced Kruidvat’s brand purpose. 

This campaign really marks the importance and impact of PR. Combining hard data with personal stories created visibility, credibility, and empathy. Coverage spanned national news, lifestyle outlets, and marketing media, with a potential reach of over €45 million and PR value of €1.1 million.”