OMO's Talent Pockets: How "Dirt is good" had become a compass for Vietnamese moms

A reflection of how an international brand continued to tell their story in a foreign market

For more details on this campaign:

https://www.brandsvietnam.com/campaign/19-Omo-Nhung-chiec-tui-tai-nang#prettyPhoto

Caught amidst a war

"For more than a decade in Vietnam, communications of household products such as detergents has been endless battles around messages like: Wash better, wash stronger, etc." - Brands Vietnam

Prior to 2005, the market of detergents and washing products in Vietnam saw little to no differentiation between brands. Many brands had been building their image around product functionality, consequently leading to a competition where every washing product wants to prove that they’re the best at removing stains (Brands Vietnam, n.d). Simultaneously, OMO was caught in amidst the struggle as their ideology, “Dirt is good” faced challenges fueled by the cultural differences. In March 2005, OMO had launched their first campaign called “Talent Pockets” in response to the said challenges, marking the introduction of “Dirt is good” to the Vietnam market. By the end of 2005, OMO’s market share (57.6% according to total revenue) became the most ample proof for Talent Pockets’ success. To understand how this campaign was able to fulfill such an accomplishment, it’s vital to examine its 2 key elements to success: Insights and Creative Solution.

Key takeaway

Talent Pockets’ insights were the first and foremost factor contributing to the campaign’s success. According to Brands Vietnam (n.d), this campaign was initiated based on the insights “Vietnamese moms also wants their children to have fun and learn new things, but are afraid of dirtiness” (Brands Vietnam, n.d). From an advertiser’s point of view, these discoveries were particularly intriguing, because it indicates that as an international brand, OMO understood that even the smallest cultural difference can result in many changes for their communication efforts. For instance, in their original market, OMO only had to step in as a brand in their original markets, due to Western parents’ existing assumption that “If you are not free to get dirty, you cannot experience life and grow” (Awkwright, 2014). However, new insights on Vietnamese consumers have posed an additional yet vital problem for their campaign: They must first change consumers’ perspective on dirtiness before anything else.

Persil/Omo's "Dirt is good" narrative has secured them a position in global markets

The second element contributing to “Talent Pockets”’ success were OMO’s creative solutions, consisted of a new product – OMO Blue Energy and a brand activation event for consumers to experience and understand why “Dirt is good”. As the campaign now has 2 goals, these solutions can only work well if incorporated together. Without the new type of detergent (which was specialized to wash dried stains), customers won’t have a reason to believe in OMO. As Edward (2015) has put, launching a new product will not only increase revenue, but also generate impact and earn strategic positioning in the market. In OMO’s case, this will enable them to focus on a demographic closer to target audiences in global markets, creating a consistent brand image. Vice versa, without organizing an outdoor event for children and parents to engage in and receive opinions from KOLs, OMO Blue Energy would be no different from existing competitors’ messages: “Wash better, whiter on a molecular level”. If cultural differences have made Vietnamese consumers hesitant to get dirty, then the outdoor event was main tactic for demonstrating that it’s possible for children to learn through getting dirty. For instance, the “Talent Pockets” event was divided into 4 sections in accordance to 4 types of skills: Arts, Science, Sport and Gardening. This division suggests that OMO are also responding to needs from a cultural perspective: Vietnamese parents don’t want kids to just learn and experience, they aspire their kids to learn skills that can be applied in daily life (Nguyen, 2018).

Get Inspired

Altogether, Talent Pockets can be regarded as a successful campaign in both terms of business and communication. This fact is supported by the evidence that Talent Pockets’ tactical framework had been reused multiple times by OMO in latter campaigns: develop a new line of product, establish brand-activation events during summertime to maximize engagement for kids (Brands Vietnam, n.d). Through analyzing this campaign, it can be observed that for international brands, cultural understanding plays a vital part in sights, as they can determine how many and which type of goals are necessary for a campaign. On a larger scale, Talent Pockets as OMO’s first ever campaign under the “Dirt is good” narrative suggests that while they don’t have to be unique in terms of media or execution, they have to convey the brand’s message completely and secure a stable position for a brand. As Spetini and Passini (2014) suggest, most Asian countries are accustomed to bathing and associated dirtiness with negativity, it’s likely that Talent Pockets can achieve the same results if launched in other Asian countries such as China, Thailand, India, etc. Yet, depending on the preference of media in each country, OMO might have to adjust their media planning.

References used

Arkwright, D. (2014). Dirt is good: how storytelling gave Persil a boost. [online] Campaignlive.co.uk. Available at: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/dirt-good-storytelling-gave-persil-boost/1287039 [Accessed 10 Mar. 2019].

Edwards, R. (2015). 7 Reasons Why You Should Do a Product Launch | Ray Edwards. [online] Ray Edwards. Available at: https://rayedwards.com/7-reasons-why-you-should-do-a-product-launch/ [Accessed 10 Mar. 2019].

Nguyen, U. (2018). Ho Chi Minh City children learn life skills in summertime - Tuoi Tre News. [online] Tuoitrenews.vn. Available at: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20180713/ho-chi-minh-city-children-learn-life-skills-in-summertime/46668.html [Accessed 10 Mar. 2019].

Speltini, G. and Passini, S. (2014). Cleanliness/dirtiness, purity/impurity as social and psychological issues. [online] Journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au. Available at: https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/doi/full/10.1177/1354067X14526895 [Accessed 10 Mar. 2019].

Vietnam, B. (n.d.). Campaign: Omo - Những chiếc túi tài năng. [online] Brands Vietnam. Available at: https://www.brandsvietnam.com/campaign/19-Omo-Nhung-chiec-tui-tai-nang#prettyPhoto [Accessed 10 Mar. 2019].

Vietnam, B. (n.d.). Campaign: Omo - Dirt is Good. [online] Brands Vietnam. Available at: https://www.brandsvietnam.com/campaign/4-Omo-Dirt-is-Good#objective [Accessed 10 Mar. 2019].