Unilever compared children spending a lot of time indoors on digital gadgets to maximum security prisoners. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Consumer goods company Unilever this month created the world’s
first dirt-activated book in South Africa in a marketing effort to
enhance its global Dirt is Good campaign which encourages children to
play outside instead of spending time online.
The
advertisement evokes childhood memories, revealing a message that
resonates with its target consumers, showing that dirt is a natural
experience for children in a move that could influence consumer
purchase.
The book, called The Omo Book of Dirt, is
created using a multi-sensory experience and when dirt — soil in this
case — is rubbed on the pages an African fable about unity is revealed
titled The Tale of Spots and Stripes. It comprises pictures of wild
animals in a jungle.
“It tells the story of two rival
packs divided by patterns on their fur. We launched the book by trading
the classroom for the outdoors and got school children to experience
first-hand why dirt is good.
“As the children discovered the beautifully illustrated story,
they also exercised key child development skills such as tactile and
fine motor skills, visual perception, language development and
education,” said Unilever in a statement.
The company
is also seeking to showcase the quality of its washing detergent, Omo,
emphasising that it can easily wash out stains such as grass, soil and
mud that are accumulated when children play outside.
Therefore
parents and guardians should not worry about dirt on their children’s
clothes as it is a sign of development, a way of expressing their
creativity and the dirt can easily be washed out by Omo.
In
Kenya, the Dirt is Good campaign has been running for over 10 years
with advertisements on different platforms. Such marketing strategies,
with an emotional appeal, tug at the heartstrings of consumers
influencing their purchase decisions.
According to
research conducted by the University of Southern California on the
Psychology of Advertising, 31 per cent of adverts with an emotional pull
succeeded compared to 16 per cent success for those that focused on
rational content.
As such, emotional response in an advert has greater influence on a consumer’s intent to buy a product.
The most appealing themes were found to be; pride, love, unique achievement, empathy, loneliness, friendship, and memories.
“Omo
is addressing a current concern for parents and guardians in this
generation who are worried that their children are becoming digital
zombies and the health implications associated with it.
“The
message relates to consumers who feel heard and are therefore likely to
buy the washing detergent,” said Stella Kimani, a brand strategist.
In
its 2016 UK Dirt is Good drive Unilever created a campaign named Free
the Kids. It emphasised that children were spending a lot of time
indoors on digital gadgets which had become the centre of their lives
and little time outdoors — just like maximum security prisoners.
In
fact, in its study for the campaign Unilever surveyed parents of who 78
per cent admitted that their children often refused to play without
some form of technology being involved, while 80 per cent revealed that
their children preferred playing virtual sports on a screen inside
rather than play actual sports outside.
The firm
launched adverts that compared children to prisoners, highlighted
alarming statistics and partnered with different parenting organisations
to share the importance of outdoor play for children.
The
firm also asked consumers to post photos of their children enjoying
outdoor games — using the hashtag #dirtisgood — and share how they got
them to do so.
The campaign resulted in over 293 pieces
of media coverage globally, with a potential reach of 58 million
impressions and #dirtisgood trended on Twitter. The official Dirt Is
Good website attracted about 20,000 visits.
- African Laughter
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