SINGAPORE — It is common knowledge that blood and organ donations can save lives. But did you know that your poop can save lives too? That’s precisely what Southeast Asia’s first precision gut microbiome company, Asian Microbiome Library (AMILI), wants Singaporeans to know.
#PoopSavesLives is AMILI’s first-ever awareness campaign, done in partnership with Wunderman Thompson Singapore and the National University Health System (NUHS). AMILI is partnering NUHS to advance microbiome science for human health in a number of research collaborations including for cancer, heart, and liver diseases. AMILI operates Singapore’s and Southeast Asia’s first stool bank for life-saving transplants. It is also a databank that serves as a hub for gut innovation and therapy. The campaign aims to get people in Singapore to share what happens behind the toilet door and donate their stool.
The campaign centres around witty and humorous euphemisms (affectionately termed “poophemisms”) to present the facts in an inoffensive manner to encourage people to donate their poop. Popular poophemisms such as “Dropping off the kids” and “Answering nature’s call” were juxtaposed against visually appealing photos of the pool and hiking trails respectively to tastefully break the Ice on the subject. Localised poophemisms such as “Bilik Termenung (the dreamy room) saves lives” and “Lou gim (dropping gold) saves lives” can also be found in Housing Development Board (HDB) estates to appeal to the heartlanders.
Copywriter Natalie Goh said, “Even while brainstorming, we were using poophemisms—without realising it! So with Singapore being so multicultural, we knew there was probably a big pile more waiting to be uncovered.”
The campaign sees the bold out-of-home banners and videos in condominiums, train stations, bus shelter ad spaces, and most importantly, they will be found in restrooms across the island in May. Targeted ads are also running across multiple social media platforms to reach out to potential donor profiles.
AMILI’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Dr. Jeremy Lim hopes the humorous and quirky euphemisms used in their recent posters will encourage Singaporeans to be more aware of the health impact of the gut microbiome and to donate their poop for a greater cause.
Dr. Jeremy Lim added “Wunderman Thompson has been a marvelous partner to work with. Its creativity and enthusiasm are infectious and invaluable to the campaign’s success. Wunderman Thompson has galvanised AMILI staff and partners to challenge ourselves and be even bolder in public engagement. #poopsaveslives and so does Wunderman Thompson.”
“AMILI’s vision for the healthcare industry in Southeast Asia is a noble one, and we are pleased to have been able to pull together our creative, data, and technical know-how to create awareness for an important topic such as this,” said Wunderman Thompson Business Lead Tajinder Taak.
“Not often do we get the chance to educate, do good, save people and put a smile on faces at the same time,” said Wunderman Thompson Singapore Chief Creative Officer Mateusz Mroszczak.
The donation campaign is ongoing. Residents in Singapore can go to poopsaveslives.com to take part in a questionnaire to determine if they are suitable for donating their poop. Should your poop samples then qualify for further fecal microbiota transplants, you will be contacted by a member of the AMILI team.
