• by Larissa Faw , July 5, 2017

Nestle is raising awareness for its Nido powdered milk brand by launching an advocacy campaign that reminds parents of the dangers of leaving their children inside vehicles. On average, 37 kids die each year from heat stroke after being left inside hot cars, reports KidsandCars.org.

Developed with McCann Santo Domingo, the campaign is distributing Umbilicar, a rope-like belt that acts like second seat belt over the child seat so drivers won't leave the vehicle without unbuckling the child seat.

"There are many intelligent apps that help prevent this kind of negligence, but due to the low penetration of smartphones and overall poor internet signal in Dominican Republic, we thought that an analog, low cost, user-friendly device would be more effective,” stated Álvaro Noboa, general creative director of McCann Santo Domingo.

Over 10,000 Umbilicar units were distributed at kindergartens and schools during the week-long initiative in February. An additional 300,000 units are in production thanks in part to social media and press coverage. Nido’s sales in the Dominican Republic grew 27% during the campaign period. However, there are no plans at this moment to extend the project to other regions.