The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2023–2024
Rentokil turned Indonesian lullabies into cockroach horror to sell pest control
Rentokil rescored traditional lullabies with real cockroach sounds, weaponising Indonesians' deep fear to push its little-known home service into demand.
Rentokil
The solution
In Indonesia, fear of cockroaches, known as katsaridaphobia, is widespread and woven into folklore, yet most households fought the pest with ineffective sprays. Rentokil was a leader in commercial pest control, but its home service was barely known.
Dentsu Creative Indonesia's 'The Horroroach' turned that fear into the media itself: traditional lullabies and rituals were rescored with the real sounds of cockroaches, creating an audio experience that felt familiar and eerie at once. Aired in homes, the soundscape made cockroaches feel close and dangerous.
The campaign reshaped the perception of cockroaches from a common nuisance into a symbol of dread and drove behaviour change: more listeners sought professional pest control, with demand rising for Rentokil specifically, and the brand came to be seen as culturally insightful rather than just an exterminator.
The work won two Silvers and two Bronzes at Citra Pariwara 2023 and a Bronze in Radio & Audio at Spikes Asia 2024.
Why it worked
- Audio reaches people inside their homes, the exact place where cockroach fear lives.
- Rescoring culture rather than inventing scares kept the dread familiar enough to feel real.
- Amplifying existing fear beat trying to educate it away with product claims.
- The campaign positioned Rentokil as understanding Indonesian culture, not just killing pests.
What can be applied
When the obstacle is a deep cultural emotion, do not fight it — amplify it into the brand's favour: the campaign used the fear Indonesians already had to make a little-known service feel necessary.
Aftermath
'The Horroroach' ran as a radio and audio campaign in Indonesia, collecting four Citra Pariwara 2023 awards and a Bronze at Spikes Asia 2024. The agency reported higher brand recognition and a rise in customer queries and demand for Rentokil's home service after the campaign.
Sources
- Case Study | dentsu Creative Indonesia | Rentokil: The Horroroach
- Rentokil Home Service - THE HORROROACH
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