Omo "Dirt is good" campaign
The Omo 'Dirt is Good' campaign aims to change the way we think about dirt, seeing it as an important part of learning and development. We see dirt differently. We believe 'Dirt is good!'
Learning and development through sport
The activation campaign focuses on women and children. Pre-launch used key opinion leaders – child psychologists and sports educationalists to talk about the important developmental benefits of children playing outside, participating in sport and getting dirty. These were published, unbranded, in magazines and on talk shows from August 2005 through to December 2005. This, they hope, started parents thinking differently about the sedentary lifestyle occupying their children such as playstation and video games.
In January the "Dirt is good Manifesto" TV commercial was flighted showing children that were getting dirty. The advert used comments such as "it’s not dirt, it's a star in the making" to make the association between getting dirty and learning.
The instore point of sale went up from February and they created an exciting disruption in the laundry aisle. No longer is Omo talking about washing powders as it has in the past, now they are talking to consumers in a very unusual way, telling them how good it is to get dirty.
The 360º activation campaign started in February, launching a competition where primary schools collect packs and the top ten schools win a customised sports field upgrade to the value of R100 000. Halfway through the competition a draw will take place, rewarding the primary school with the most packs with a sports field upgrade, a sports day with celebrities and the media on the 6 May on the new field. This is being driven in various ways, through the Omo mailbag, instore, by making a call to TVC and also directly through schools.
They will also be visiting their key customers around the country such as Pick 'n Pay, Spar and Shoprite, where they'll be holding sports skills clinics for children. Mothers can watch their children going through their paces in five key skill activities and getting dirty in the process of learning. We hope that by getting children and mothers involved in these roadshows, they will come to understand the 'dirt is good' philosophy.
They have also made use of the successful splat ball idea from Brazil, where if consumers purchase 2kg of Omo over the period of Feb – April 2006, they receive a free Omo Splat Ball for their children. This has been very successful, with all participating stores running out of balls daily.
Internal launches for Unilever HPC SA employees and their families are also on the cards.
The 'Dirt is good' philosophy is a five year strategy. They will continue to encourage consumers to experience this philosophy through the development and learning Sport Activation Idea for children.
