Petits Filous ad

General Mills has announced the first phase of a £3m marketing push for Petits Filous, with a move away from its ‘strong bones’ refrain.

The Petits Filous Play Free campaign is set to run from 13 January to the end of February, championing ‘free play’, a movement where children initiate and lead their playtime activities.

The campaign came as a result of research into what advice and reassurance parents were searching for and where they would like to receive that information, said the brand.

To fulfil that need, it has teamed up with child development expert and co-founder of social enterprise The Positive Parenting Project Anita Cleare, who will make appearances throughout the campaign, advocating the benefits of child-led play.

“Petits Filous has now extended its focus from the functional benefits of its products to the importance of free play for children’s development, with the aim of making positive changes in society,” said marketing director for General Mills’ Northern Europe operations Richard Williams.

Free play develops ‘softer skills’ to help children learn things ‘that can’t be taught’, according to the campaign, including creativity, imagination and spatial awareness.

It will feature TV and video on demand adverts as well as Facebook advertising, with total outreach projected to reach 22 million consumers, said the brand.

Petits Filous has recruited parenting bloggers Brit Mums, who will be hosting a live chat session on Twitter to communicate the brand’s message. Cleare will also feature across social media activity to provide “an expert and credible perspective”, added Petits Filous.

The brand has also collaborated with Mother & Baby magazine, a partnership that will see feature advertorials, mobile advertising and Facebook chat sessions sponsored by Petits Filous.