International travel presenter Ian Wright is on a mission to seek out and lick the dirtiest locations in Europe for The Lick-hiker’s Guide to Inner Strength, a campaign that promotes the virtues of Gefilus, a probiotics range by innovative dairy, Valio.
Created by hasan & partners Helsinki the 25-minute documentary sees Wright’s tongue come into contact with places that harbour bad bacteria – all in the name of testing immunity, gut health, and science. These include a Russian public toilet and underground station, a Finnish kindergarten, Swedish river, €10 note, London’s Piccadilly Circus and Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Valio commissioned Wright to demonstrate the power of Gefilus, which contains the friendly Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and vitamins. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is the world’s most researched lactic acid bacterium and its qualities have since been scrutinized in more than 800 scientific studies globally.
Gefilus is tested on a journey that starts in Helsinki and moves to London via Örebro, Moscow and Frankfurt. Along the route Wright meets doctors, professors and scientists in-between licking challenges that threaten his immune system.
The Lick-hiker’s Guide to Inner Strength will initially air this week on Finland’s Nelonen TV channel, prior to broadcast on Valio’s YouTube channel when it will be seeded to a global audience. It will be supported by an international social media, PPC and PR campaign by The Honey Partnership.
Armed with bottles of good bacteria and a luminometer to measure germ count, the two-week tongue tour of Europe tests Wright’s taste buds and nerve to the limit. Viewers will find out if he survived the ordeal without contracting any stomach bugs and where in the world a germaphobe can find the location with the worst bacterial score.
Jussi Lindholm, COO of hasan & partners, comments: “Good bacteria in Gefilus products has been carefully studied and people believe in it. But seeing is believing, so the documentary is both educational and fun, designed to physically draw attention to the link between the gut, our inner strength, and our wellbeing. World traveller Ian Wright has experienced many challenges and Gefilus was probably the weirdest.”
Niko Vuorenmaa, SVP snacks, juice and new categories at Valio adds: “Gut is our second brain and 70% of our immunity is located there. Therefore, the gut is our most important organ to keep us healthy. Valio Gefilus with its good bacteria and vitamins can support a healthy lifestyle so we put it to the test in The Lick-hiker’s Guide to Inner Strength, where Ian demonstrates it takes some guts to lick a filthy journey across Europe.”
