According to Unilever brand, OMO/Persil, the majority of children spend as little time outdoors as maximum security prisoners. One in 2 spend an hour or less outside per day and one in 10 never play outdoors.
Meanwhile Unilever is committed to its 10 year old Dirt is Good campaign, which has been fostering in parents the idea that dirt equates to creativity. Letting kids get dirty not only helps kids to become creative free-thinkers, it helps Unilever to maintain the value of OMO/Persil at more than US$3bn.
So MullenLowe London has partnered with Sir Ken Robinson, an international expert in education, creativity and human development.
It is his first brand collaboration. Robinson has been given the role of chair of the Dirt is Good Child Development Advisory Board, beside Dr Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute of Play.
“The Board will support the Dirt is Good campaign and its commitment to rebalance children’s lives, investigating the best ways to help children play, explore and get dirty every day so that they can learn and develop to their full potential,” MullenLowe said in its statement.
To coincide with the initiative, MullenLowe London has created a two and a half minute branded documentary, Free the Kids, set in a maximum security prison in the US, directed by documentary filmmaker, Toby Dye of RSA Films.
The team visited Wabash Valley Maximum Secutiry Correctional Facility in Indiana, where Dye interviewed prisoners about the importance of their time spent outside. The crux of his interview is the question put to prisoners about how they would feel if it were reduced to one hour a day. Their horror is sure to shock parents given that 1 hour is all half of them give their children to spend outdoors.
Alex Okada, global creative director for OMO/Persil at MullenLowe London explained,
“We knew a traditional idea would not be enough to provoke the debate we need around this dramatic problem. This campaign is an opportunity to give a new dimension to the Dirt is Good brand philosophy.”
Toby Dye added, “Everything in the film was unscripted and shot with a tiny crew of five, under genuine documentary conditions. I’m very proud that we have made a film that works on so many levels and have powerfully communicated the intended message in an emotionally engaging, non-judgemental way.”
The ad will run globally except in markets like the US, where Persil is owned by Henkel. Unilever will also work with Twitters Moments for the first time, to build the social campaign.
OMO/Persil is partnering with Project Dirt to deliver Outdoor Classroom Day, a global initiative aimed at getting millions of schoolchildren across the world to spend a day learning outside in nature. The campaign, that is launching in the UK, Brazil and Turkey, will ask parents to share their views on play and sign up their child’s school to Outdoor Classroom Day on the new campaign website.
Credits
Creative agency: MullenLowe London
Chief creative officer: Dave Henderson
Executive creative director: Rich Denney
Global creative director: Alex Okada
Production Company: RSA
Director: Toby Dye
Producer: Ben Porter
Research producer: Denise Castelli
Editor: Julian Eguiguren
Post production: MPC
