VOLUME
17
Heard
on the Playground
What's
New This Month
Tech
Trends
Kids
Tweens
Teens
Trend
Watch
Upcoming
Events in Youth Marketing
Heard
on the Playground
It's
Not What Your Country Can Do For You...
It’s
a good thing that the legal age to run for the presidency is 35,
because if George W. Bush had to run for re-election against some of
the 5 and 6-year-olds we recently spoke with, his campaign would be
in serious trouble. Asking
these young children “what they would do if they had just been
elected President of the United States” elicited some very fun and
light-hearted responses. It
also reflected some overriding feelings they have on what the
president’s responsibilities are.
Nearly
every child mentioned wanting to help people, particularly any that
were poor or hurt. They
talked about teaching people to be nice to each other as well as
helping the less fortunate. Some
of the kids expressed concern for the current war on terrorism, with
one saying they would in fact “fix the war”.
Five-year-old
Sara had a three step plan that would generate quite a buzz with
younger voters. According
to her, she would “first lower taxes, give all the kids gifts, and
make everyone friendly.” Exemplifying
that men and women develop several of their differences at an early
age, five-year-old Evan had a slightly different three step plan.
He claimed that he would “build the country bigger, buy a
lot of toys, and do whatever I want.”
However,
no one seemed to have a better plan than six-year-old Marie who
would seemingly add “Master of Meteorology” to her job
description with her desire to “make candy fall out of the sky.”
I know who would get my vote.
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What's
New This Month
Hamming
It Up
Yet another
Japanese import, this a compact model, has recently arrived in the
United States. ShoPro
USA, an affiliate of Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd., recently
introduced the US to Hamtaro, one of Japan’s hottest children’s
properties. Hamtaro and
his hamster buddies, the Ham-Hams, premiered recently on the Cartoon
Network, airing at both 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
The television
show is the first part of a major rollout in the US of the brand
that has exceeded $2.5 billion in retail sales since its launch in
Japan in July of 2000. The
animated series features Hamtaro, the pet of ten-year-old Laura, and
all of his hamster buddies. The
Ham-Hams are quite the eclectic group, ranging from the book-smart
Maxwell to a former resident of France named Bijou.
They meet in
their Ham-Ham clubhouse to plan their next adventures when their
owners head to school. Many
of these adventures involve keeping Laura and her classmates out of
trouble. Of course,
they manage to get tangled up in some of their own problems along
the way.
The
series in Japan was based on the popular illustrated children’s
storybooks created by Ms. Ritsuko Kawai in 1997.
It has become one of TV Tokyo’s top-rated kids television
programs. Marketers in
the US are hoping for similar success here.
Aside from the television series, ShoPro USA has set up
licenses with Hasbro (toys and games), Nintendo (video games), and
Viz Communications (publishing and home video distribution).
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Tech
Trends
Not
All Fun and Games
There is plenty of
good news for those in the market for a video game system or looking
for new ways to use their current ones.
Last month Nintendo dropped the price of their Gamecube from
$199 to $149. This came
one week after Sony’s Playstation2 and Microsoft’s Xbox reduced
their prices from $299 to $199.
These companies are doing more than just dropping their
prices to generate a buzz.
Both Nintendo and
PlayStation2 have recently announced innovations that give their
products another boost. At
the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Nintendo
featured several of their innovative games that can swap items
through a cable when a Nintendo Gamecube is connected to a Game Boy
Advance. They also
introduced the E-Reader, a feature that allows users to swipe
collectible trading cards to transport messages from the characters,
game items, and even music.
Originally, Game
Boy Color’s “Pokemon Crystal” and the N64’s “Pokemon
Stadium” were programmed with the ability to link the two
together. This was
viewed as a main spark in boosting both games’ sales.
Following this same strategy, Nintendo is hoping that
developing more games with numerous exchange possibilities will
generate excitement for both systems.
Currently more than 20 video games that integrate
connectivity are in development by Nintendo.
PlayStation2 is
taking a different and more costly route for owners of their units
to potentially follow. Sony
has released a PS2 Linux converter that allows the console to be
used as a computer. The
kit sells for $200 and consists of a hard drive, a monitor adapter,
two installation discs and a network adapter.
They also include a keyboard and a mouse so that users
don’t have to use a controller to type.
When all of these
additional components are set up, the PlayStation2 will be able to
run the Linux operating system and allow users to e-mail, explore
the Internet, download software and then save it to the hard drive.
Linux is free, but it is not very user-friendly so it may be
difficult to convince anyone that is not totally sure how to use
this system to purchase the equipment.
These
attempts by both companies to offer some added value to their
consumers demonstrate that video game users, a large part being
kids, tweens and teens, have learned to expect more.
The heavy competition in this category has led to a favorable
environment for those willing to be patient, resulting in more
features and lower prices.
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Kids
Recycling
the Color
Crayola, the
company that has brought such colors as Razzmatazz and Asparagus to
the world, is now giving kids an opportunity to invent their own
one-of-a-kind palettes. The
Crayola Crayon Maker was unveiled recently at the international
flagship Toys “R” Us store in Times Square.
Visitors at the location were the first crayon connoisseurs
to use the tabletop device.
According to
Crayola, children wear down approximately 730 crayons by their 10th
birthday. The Crayola
Crayon Maker is now available at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide
and will be in other mass merchandisers next month.
The machine, which retails for about $29.99, uses a small
light bulb to melt down the pieces.
Kids can watch through a blue see-through lid at the melting
tray as the pieces melt together.
When the light turns off, they turn another knob to send a
stream of color into molds.
The 20-minute
process allows children to create up to 3 new colors every time.
They can develop their own recipes or follow ones available
at Crayola.com, including one for “fruit salad” which requires a
slice of “wild watermelon”, a hunk of “banana mania” and a
piece of “granny smith apple”.
These creations aren’t complete until the kids take the
adhesive labels that accompany the maker and name their new colors.
There
is also a contest to help give a name to these little bits of color
that have been given a new chance to shine.
The “Dub the Nub” contest gives kids a chance to nominate
and then vote for their favorite names.
Crayola plans to announce the winning name in October, and
based on such recent names for crayons as “fuzzy wuzzy brown”
and “pink flamingo”, you can bet these nubs will receive quite a
colorful name.
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Tweens
The
4-Eyed, 4-Legged Consumer
Last month at the
Kid Power conference, WonderGroup’s Director of Research Ivy Boehm
and President Dave Siegel introduced youth marketers to the 4-eyed,
4-legged consumer, a phenomenon fictitious in appearance, but very
real in terms of existence.
The 4-eyed, 4-legged consumer represents the morphing
together of a mother and her child, particularly tweens, into one
shopping unit.
This special
consumer was not made from spare parts like some sort of modern day
Frankenstein. Instead,
it was formed due to the presence of many internal and external
factors affecting today’s Moms and their kids.
Moms are crunched for time, often having to deal with work,
family, kids activities and responsibilities around the house.
They also have strong family values and want to make sure
their kids are happy. In
a recent group, a mom summed up this feeling by saying, “There is
a day when I won’t be buying stuff for my kids, so I like it
because it makes them happy and that makes me feel good.”
So what is the
second half of this dynamic duo all about?
Today’s tweens are also extremely busy, taking on a
multitude of activities on top of their schoolwork.
With regards to shopping, they expect to participate
in decisions and have been trained to be consumers, but lest we all
forget, they are still kids. These
parts come together to make a very unique buying machine.
Nearly 80% of
tweens shop for groceries with their moms, with the Moms regularly
asking their kids for input when making kid/family purchase
decisions. When asked,
and sometimes even when they are not, tweens readily tell their moms
what to buy and essentially train them to make decisions with their
children’s opinions instilled in them.
Often in a mom-approved category, they let their kids choose
the brand.
With these
purchasing habits present, it is important for marketers to keep
several things in mind. The
package needs to enforce that kids will like it and include
something for moms, and when it is possible, make sure moms are
pre-aware of the product. Of
course it is even more important to generate this same pre-awareness
among tweens. They go
for what they recognize or notice, and what they notice is what they
know. Bringing this to
life means making sure one point of your advertising communications
is highly recognizable in the store, showing the package in the
advertising, and making sure the advertising focuses on the product.
Keeping
all of these facts in mind is very important during all stages of
marketing a product, from it’s initial creation all the way to the
advertising and any possible promotions.
The 4-eyed, 4-legged consumer has a distinct system for
selecting products. Marketers
can learn how to develop plans to specifically appeal to them.
Instead of killing two birds with one stone, they can gain
two advocates with one successful strategy.
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Teens
Aiming for
a Bigger Target
A recent article
in License magazine highlighted the present trend of licenses
“growing” with the consumers.
Brands like Barbie and Superman, along with celebrities like
Britney Spears, are looking to make the transition from tweenager to
teenager with their consumers.
There is almost a “chicken and the egg” impact.
Keeping teens as part of their market obviously expands their
target. It also aids
their efforts to gain tweens as they aspire to be like teens.
One of the main
ways they are expanding their reach is by changing the format in
which their image is delivered and recognizing what products are
prevalent in teens’ lives. For
instance, this fall Mattel and Fiorucci will launch Barbie by
Fiorucci, a line of clothing and accessories for young adults aged
16 and up.
Britney Spears
and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have both been very successful with
both tween and younger girls. As
they grow older, they are looking to keep the connection with their
aging fans. Signatures
Network, the licensing agent of Spears and her $105 million
licensing empire, built mainly on dolls and back-to-school
accessories, is positioning the brand to appeal to the teen/junior
market. New products on
the horizon include sunglasses from Sun Ban and Britney four-wheel
rollers from Skechers as well as ventures into more apparel and
bedding products.
The Olsen Twins
are teens themselves now and at the age of 16 represent a $500
million licensing business. They
have been big with tweens for the better part of the last decade.
A transition to widening this fan base is an obvious step to
take. Wal-Mart recently
launched a line of MK&A cosmetics from Nu World and liquid
hair-care products from Conair with a goal of maintaining a hold on
their maturing customer base. Hair
appliances are set to follow soon as they also look for partners in
home furnishings like bath ceramics.
Targeting
kids, tweens and teens has been a hot topic over the past several
years, establishing new rules in marketing.
Marketers now recognize that there is a world of differences
between these different ages. As
these licensing companies have noticed, there are ways to stay in
the lives of young consumers. While
the famous names may garner interest across a wide range of ages, it
is the products themselves that have to be designed to fit into the
lifestyle of a specific age group.
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Trend Watch
Taking
Spanish Lessons
The secret is out
about the increasing number of minorities, particularly Hispanics,
in the United States. The
most recent U.S. Census data reveals that over sixty percent of
babies born in the country come from a Hispanic background.
Consequentially, there are new strategies being developed in
order to reach this market.
According to a
recent article in Kidscreen, children of these families have
a great deal of influence, since many of them are the first
U.S.-born members of their families.
Within their immediate families, they are the most
comfortable with the English language and most immersed in U.S.
culture. Marketers are
realizing that striking up a positive image with these youngsters
gives them an influential voice in these families.
Marketing directly
to kids and teens has become an essential way to reach kids, and
people in the industry have come to recognize that they must use
different techniques than those used on adults.
When marketing to youths with a Hispanic background, the same
rules must be followed and then taken one step further to specialize
the message specifically for them.
While Hispanic
youth are able to understand English much easier than their parents,
it doesn’t mean that they do not still have a connection to the
Spanish Language. Their
parents still want to be a part of their lives, including watching
Spanish-language TV. Thus,
the kids spend time watching TV programs in both languages.
It is important
to note though that the number of ways to reach Hispanic children
specifically is still quite limited.
Overall, there are very few Spanish-language kids shows for
media buyers to place ads, and Spanish-language channels have a much
smaller reach than English-language ones.
This has led to some interesting solutions.
For example, Nickelodeon has started running bilingual spots
around English-language programming that caters to Hispanic kids,
like The Brothers Garcia, Taina, and Dora the
Explorer.
This
dual immersion in both English and Spanish means that many Hispanic
kids bounce back and forth between the two languages, even combining
them together at times. This
can create unique expressions and styles that get picked up by
others, a fun end result for this target.
They enjoy seeing how their native culture and language
impacts the US pop culture that they are now a part of.
As the Hispanic population continues to swell, everyone will
notice their impact on both pop culture and society as a whole.
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Upcoming Events
in Youth Marketing
IIR’s
Consumer Kids Presents the Fifth Annual
TARGETING
TWEENS
July
29-30, 2002 - New York Helmsley
Marketing
to the InbeTWEEN Stages of Youth
- Designed
by industry experts, IIR’s Consumer Kids’ TARGETING
TWEENS will be your ultimate
conference destination. As
a youth marketer, you will have an unrivalled opportunity to learn
from and exchange insight with the leading minds in the business.
Your experience at TARGETING TWEENS
will provide you with valuable insight about how to:
*
Listen and learn from Tweens in a changed world
* Best
position your brand by understanding the different Tween stages
* Adopt
Tweens’ global economic force in your future strategies
* Determine
which Tweens are the leaders, moving trends from adopters to
cultural mainstreams *
Capture your share of the Tween wallet by understanding their
core motivations and behaviors
For
more information, please contact Wendy Fullem at 212-661-3500 x
3018, wfullem@iirusa.com,
or visit www.consumerkids.net
Teen
Power
2002
September
24-26, 2002 – The
Hotel Inter-Continental, Chicago
The
6th annual Mega Event, Teen Power 2002, is coming! The Kid
Power Xchange will proudly serve as your host for a live gathering
of the best and brightest youth marketers. Thousands of marketers
worldwide have attended Kid Power Xchange events, and have reaped
the benefits of hearing from renowned teen marketing gurus. Teen
Power 2002 will enlighten you on getting to know today's fickle
teens and help you discover how your product and services will stand
out against the sea of competitors. To
register, please call 800-882-8684, email info@kidpowerx.com,
or visit www.kidpowerx.com.
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Youth
University is brought to you free each month by WonderGroup.
We
hope you find Youth University valuable and helpful. WonderGroup,
a 360º youth marketing agency provides services including:
Advertising, New Product Development, Research and Promotions.
You can learn more about WonderGroup at
www.wondergroup.com or
by calling Greg Livingston, theshadow@wondergroup.com,
at (513) 357-2950.
See
you next month!
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