Our goal was to shed light on the reality of kids’ lives today.

To provoke parents and get them to get their kids off couches and beds, we showed them the reality of their kids’ lives in an unconventional way.

To wake parents up to the fact that kids today are ‘the least active kids ever’ and spend on average 23 hours a day inactive, we created the longest live stream in Facebook’s history; a 23-hour video showing a kid doing absolutely nothing, apart from sleeping, playing video games, checking in on social, watching Netflix and hover-boarding his way to and from the kitchen.

The videos were long and boring for good reason, as they were a live, visual representation of kids’ lives today. Their one purpose was to depict exactly what kids spend their day doing. No exaggeration, just a literal translation based on global research.

Along with the 23-hour live stream, we also made a 7-hour video about screen time. And a 4-hour one about TV time. With parents debating the inactivity of #KidsToday, we switched from provoking them, to helping them.

We teamed up with child psychologists who responded online in real time, explaining the importance of active play.

We launched shorter films where kids reminded their parents that if they aren’t encouraged to get off the couch, more of them will end up depressed, obese, or with learning difficulties.

Webisodes were created with medical professionals to help parents overcome key challenges.

And ambient messaging in playgrounds drove parents online to know more about the campaign.

Finally, we turned eBay into an advertising channel by giving away kids’ swings and slides for free, to help encourage more outdoor play.

Parents spent an average of 5 minutes 9 seconds watching the ad vs the global average of 24 seconds; which makes it one of the most viewed live streams on YouTube and Facebook to date. 1.3 billion seconds in just 23 hours.

But more importantly, the ads highlighted the inactive lifestyles of #KidsToday which ignited a fierce debate online, received 5.94 million interactions in just 23 hours, with 3.4 million hashtag mentions (#KidsToday), 3.3 million Twitter mentions, 1.97 million Facebook mentions and 40,000 comments on YouTube.

The campaign was the most successful digital and social campaign in OMO’s history.

Even leading TV channels picked up on the story.

By the end of the campaign, 82% of parents voted to get their kids outside more often.

Now that’s good news for both kids, and washing powder brands. OMO sales increased by 98.3% vs. the same period last year.

Research shows that kids spend less than 1-hour a day engaged in physical activity, which means 23 hours idle and inactive.

So, to provoke parents, we quantified the amount of time kids spend idle or with gadgets and created the longest live stream in Facebook's history - a 23-hour video showing a kid doing absolutely nothing, apart from sleeping, playing video games, checking in on social, watching Netflix and hover-boarding his way around the house.

This use of live-stream and real-time responses generated word-of-mouth and attention for the topic and got parents closer to OMO;ultimately,benefitting the brand and the business.

Global research shows that kids spend less than 1-hour a day engaged in physical activity, which means 23 hours idle and inactive. They also spend an average of 7 hours in front of screens and 4 hours watching TV.

Parents are aware that this generation is born into technology, but aren’t aware of the time their kids spend with gadgets, and often try to distract them by giving them screens as a bribe. So, to provoke them and give them a reality check, we decided to quantify the amount of time kids spend idle or with gadgets.

We knew that if we showed them the reality as is, they would listen, even if the truth made them angry. After provoking them, we switched tactics and started helping them, by explaining the benefits of active and outdoor play and giving tips on how to limit gadget time, and increase play time. 

Kids today are the least active kids in history, as they spend, on average, less than an hour a day playing outside and getting dirty. All the free time they have (besides food, sleep, studying and bathroom breaks) is most likely spent with electronics, which are preferred by parents in the Middle East; they believe, based on cultural norms, that keeping their children clean is associated with better parenting.

That’s not always so good for a washing powder brand like OMO, whose philosophy is “Dirt is Good”. OMO is a brand that promotes an active lifestyle, because playing and getting dirty is crucial for kids’ learning and healthy development. OMO believes that every time kids come back with stains, they’re coming back with experience too.