Omo announces "Dirt is good"

Unilever Arabia today announced the official GCC launch of its new communication campaign for OMO detergent, “Dirt is Good.” The campaign is geared at changing people’s attitudes towards dirt, highlighting that getting messy allows children to learn, socialize and get some much-needed exercise.

The launch took place today at Ibn Batutta Mall in the presence of kids enjoying playing freely with paint.Iain Potter, Unilever’s Vice President of Marketing, Home and Personal Care, North Africa and Middle East, was joined by renowned educational psychologist, Ruba Tabari, who is an expert in child development issues.

“This campaign, which has met with great success in other parts of the world,is now being rolled out across the GCC,” Potter said prior to the launch. He highlighted that “Omo’s global success has been largely due to the fact that Dirt is Good is not simply a catchphrase for us.It represents the core of our brand, supported by patent-protected technology that gives children the freedom to get dirty, safe in the knowledge that Omo will remove those stubborn stains.”

According to an academic global study commissioned by Omo, “an obesity epidemic is now taking off”, both in the developed and developing world. Out of the 300 million people in the world who suffer from obesity, one in three lives in a developing country. In China, 20% of the population in the cities is classified as obese. In Brazil and Colombia, the figure hovers around 40% - a level comparable to a number of European countries.Games and sport offer us an opportunity to shake off our sedentary lifestyles, immobile in front of the TV, game console and computer.*

According to published figures in the GCC, the rate of obesity is estimated as high as 70% for women and 50% for men.**

The global Omo academic study also confirms that many activities that are necessary for our growth and development, for our well being and happiness involve getting dirty. Children’s exploration and play promotes their flexible adaptation to the world they will meet, their ability realistically to appraise risks and to balance proper independence with social understanding. The study concludes that while it is true that dirt can be a carrier of pathogens (those microbes which are often harmful), this needs to be balanced by getting in touch with the real, dirty world, in order to learn about it (especially as children) adapt to it and flourish in it. Exposure to some microbes in dirt is also needed to create a healthy balanced immune system as our immune systems have evolved to expect this.

“Too many children here in the GCC spend too much time watching TV and playing video games,” adds Tabari. “There are many reasons for kids’ sedentary lifestyle, including safety issues and academic pressures, as well as lack of awareness of the importance of getting messy. We learn through our senses and touch in particular provides an important input to the development of a child.”

Omo’snew packaging, which features the “Dirt Is Good” logo and slogan, is now visible on shelves across the GCC. The “Dirt is Good” advertising campaign, running in print and on TV across the Gulf countries, has already launched. The campaign will be supported with various local activities and events throughout the years.

About Omo

Omo was first launched in the GCC in. Through out the past 12 years, Omo has had many innovations, including the introduction of Power Scoop, Tablets, Polybags and Easy Iron variants. Omo is owned by Unilever Arabia, part of Unilever North Africa and Middle East, one of the biggest fast moving consumer goods companies in the region and the largest TV advertiser, with leading brands in foods and beverages as well as home and personal care.

Notes to editors 

*Dirt is good study was conducted by Dr John Richer, MA, PhD, Dip Clin Psych, C Psychol. Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Oxford Human Sciences (11/02/05)

** Obesity figures from UAE published in Gulf Today, 11 February 2007