Omo. The power of play

During the time we worked on the OMO campaign, the brief that reached our agency was a global one that needed to be adapted locally. The overarching platform OMO was developing was the well-known “Dirt is Good” campaign. Rather than focusing on product benefits, OMO chose a more emotional and meaningful approach—highlighting the value of active, outdoor play for children, even if it means getting dirty. The core message emphasized the importance of giving kids the freedom to explore, knowing they have a safe, loving home to return to—a mother who welcomes them with warmth and cleans their clothes without scolding them for the mess.

In Romania, the brand had been silent for eight years, so its reentry needed to be bold, emotionally resonant, and capable of genuinely connecting with Romanian hearts.

We started by reframing the brief into a fundamental cultural tension: Romanian children are growing up without a real childhood. Unlike their parents—who were raised freely outdoors—today’s kids are pressured, digitally dependent, and boxed in by restrictive parenting norms. Our deeper insight, supported by both global studies and local cultural data, was that children hear an average of 400 “No’s” per day, limiting their creativity and sense of self. Our focus was on how limiting language affects children’s emotional and cognitive development.