"We need to talk about outdoor time and prioritize it again"

Advertisingweek.chFranz Bittmann, you have this week with their study "Swiss children and their outdoor time" and the accompanying campaign triggered a major discussion about outdoor time for Swiss children. How did this come about?  

Franz Bittmann: The mental health of children and young people has been the subject of much discussion since the pandemic, as there is cause for concern. Most of the reporting focuses on the increase in screen time, even at a young age. As a manufacturer of outdoor clothing for children, we have always been irritated by the fact that we almost only talk about screen time, social media or gaming in society. That we all wish it would all become less. But what if society didn't just talk about what children should do less of, but instead talked about what they could, should or should do more of? Outdoor time! Because we firmly believe that a child who spends a lot of time outdoors is simply busier and happier when playing, exploring, climbing and so on - which automatically pushes screen time, for example, into the background or at least reduces it.

What were the most exciting findings of the study?

For me personally, the fact that children in Switzerland only spend around 1.5 hours a day outside in the fresh air was surprising - surprisingly little. This is a figure given by parents of 0 to 12-year-old children throughout Switzerland, an annual average. The 1.5 hours include the journey to school, breaks, the walk to nursery and free play. Not much, is it? The parents themselves also state that they spent much more time outside as children.

What else did you find out?

Two findings: Firstly, that parents are clearly convinced that children who spend a lot of time outdoors are happier, more resilient and more in touch with nature. That they sleep better and spend less time in front of screens. So parents clearly know how valuable time outside is for their children.

And secondly?

That parents name themselves as the most important factor in getting children to go outside more! In other words, you used to go outside a lot more yourself, you know how good it would be for your own child and you know that as a parent you have a big influence on your children's outdoor time. The question is: how do we change this?

Namely?

I therefore believe it is time that we discuss, prioritize and tackle the issue of outdoor time in society. We live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world and have nature practically on our doorstep. Let's make the most of it! Young children clearly need their parents to do this. Older children and teenagers need a group of friends who also enjoy being outdoors. Either way, for me the study is a wake-up call to us all that we need to talk about outdoor time and prioritize it again.

How do you communicate this to people?

By launching the study, we have deliberately started a discussion and have noticed how strongly the topic has affected people in the comment columns of 20 minutes, View, Watson, the Aargauer newspaper and "10 to 10" keeps people busy and moves them. On our Website we have put together various resources that parents can use - books that inspire, tips and tricks on what you can do outside. Many people sometimes lack ideas, which is why parents often have problems motivating their children to go outside.

And what else does the campaign include?

We work with family platforms such as Fritz & Fränzi, Any Working Mom and We parents together to reach as many parents as possible. We are also addressing the topic on our own social media channels, and many topic leaders and influencers have picked up the thread and are taking it further, contributing their own ideas and tips. We are also supporting the campaign with an emotional film that dramatizes how much time our children spend indoors and where they would rather be, created by Tasty Films.

Who is behind the campaign?

We came up with the idea for this mental health campaign ourselves; we had wanted to address this topic for a long time. During implementation, we worked closely with an internal team and external specialists. As a start-up, we have to look at every franc, and we believe that we have found a great solution and maximized the impact. We are really super happy with the campaign.

What happens now?

The discussion about more outdoor time for children is obviously of interest not only to parents but also to many professionals who contact us. We want to continue to motivate these target groups with simple tips and tricks for more outdoor time in everyday life and offer them ideas and inspiration. And yes, if someone realizes that the right outdoor clothing makes it easier to get children out into the fresh air more quickly and that it's more fun outside when their daughter or son is wrapped up nice and warm and there are no chafing seams, then we're happy to point these parents in the right direction. Namuk.com can equip. Because we are experts in this.

Responsible for the campaign: Lena Hering, Melanie Gath, Noemi Andres, Simon Bertschinger, Andreas Huber, Clément Flaux, Tina Birbaum, Franz Bittmann (Namuk); Regula Bührer Fecker (Farner), Marianne Altgeld, Manuel Cariappa-Schwaninger (Link); Lea Fee & Sean Fee (Tasty Pictures).

All findings of the study are on the landing page from Namuk viewable.