ABOUT

THE PROBLEM:
Hajj & Umrah are the biggest and densest human gatherings in the world with over 2 million pilgrims gathered in one place. This means disease and infection spread extremely easily. Over 60% of pilgrims fall ill due to contact, according to the WHO. And elderly pilgrims see a 40% risk of death due to infection according to the Journal of Infection & Public Health.

With Saudia Airlines being the world’s leading carrier for pilgrimage travel to Saudi Arabia, together our aim was to reduce the spread of illness.

THE IDEA:
We created ProtecTasbih - the world's first sanitising prayer beads. Knowing that every pilgrim carries prayer beads (or Tasbih) in hand, we knew that would become the perfect opportunity for us to put health & safety right in pilgrims’ hands. By creating sanitizing prayer beads, we would incorporate hygiene seamlessly into religious tradition, without disrupting their journeys.

Religious limitations meant alcohol and artificial fragrance could not be used. So an all-natural organic compound was innovated, encapsulating the anti-bacterial properties of tea tree oil.

The tea tree oil was infused into a semi-solid compound, and upon rubbing the beads, the antibacterial residue that the beads provide ruptures the membrane of the bacteria, killing the germs.

The semi-solid compound was designed to last two weeks, the maximum length of a pilgrimage. After the compound is used up, inner beads are revealed for life-long use. The beads are 100% recyclable, and create zero waste.

DISTRIBUTION:
65,000 ProtecTasbih prayer beads were distributed on Saudia flights—specifically flights from worldwide cities to Jeddah during peak Umrah season. On these flights, cabin crew were trained to explain the purpose of the beads, while in-flight videos explained how they work.

Around 35,000 ProtecTasbihs were distributed across the city of Mecca in metro stations and strategic touch points. State-of-the-art contactless vending machines distributed the beads.

Knowing that Umrah season was at a peak during winter season, the beads were distributed throughout the month of January and continue to be distributed throughout the rest of the year. Hajj season will take place in June and July, so even more beads will be mass-produced and distributed.

RESULTS:
The ProtecTasbih innovation witnessed global responses, with opinion leaders and religious leaders praising the breakthrough. It was hailed as a revolution in Hajj healthcare, with each bead fighting a global public health problem.

Organic social media coverage across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa highlighted the importance of using ProtecTasbih and the importance of maintaining hygiene during pilgrimage.

Saudia Airlines made the design & formulation of the beads open-source so that any organization could produce their own life-saving beads—putting the power of protection in the world’s hands.

100,000+ pilgrims positively impacted

$2.9 million in earned media

1.5 million pilgrims reached on-ground

#1 trending topic in Saudi Arabia

Trending topic in 35 countries

+62% brand love for SAUDIA