When Bayer and its OTC allergy brand Claritin surveyed parents in March about their childrens’ play habits, more than half said they worried their kids were spending too little time outside.
That’s hardly surprising given the smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and endless streaming channels kids today have at their fingertips. But Claritin wants to give old-fashioned backyard pastimes a fighting chance for their attention with the help of celebrity-designer couple Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent.
The oral antihistamine maker is kicking off Year 2 of its “Outsideologist Project” campaign, alongside spring allergy season, by encouraging families to post a photo or video of themselves having fun outside using the Instagram hashtag #BackyardChallenge.
Families who post up to July 7 will be entered into a sweepstakes for a $10,000 prize and virtual consultation with Berkus and Brent to design “the backyard of their dreams.”
The HGTV and TLC stars plugged the campaign and spoke about parenting their two school-age children, daughter Poppy and son Oskar, in a sponsored interview last week on Good Morning America’s "GMA3."
At the end of the interview, Berkus directs viewers to follow the campaign on Facebook or Instagram @OutsideologistProject to find “great activities and suggestions for really amazing family activities outside.”
The content, which also appears on the campaign website, includes simple suggestions for backyard games, sports, gardening, camping and art.
“It’s been really great for us to kind of reengage with nature and get out there and get going again,” Brent told GMA’s Alicia Quarles.
A Claritin survey of 5,000 American parents of children aged 5 to 13, conducted in March, found 74% think their child does not play outside as often as they did as children. But almost as many (72%) said their family would spend more time outside if their personal space were more exciting.
That’s where Berkus and Brent come in. Other influencers on the campaign include Olympic soccer player and mom Sydney LeRoux and author and mom Ilana Wiles, who sit on an advisory board that has developed the campaign’s outdoor curriculum.
Bayer’s consumer health division first launched the brand awareness campaign this time last year, featuring country music artist Thomas Rhett as spokesman, with a goal of encouraging children to spend an extra hour outside.