VOLUME
32
Chairman's Message
Kids
Tweens
Teens
Moms and Families
Chairman's
Message
 We
Play Fair
We
at WonderGroup truly love and respect kids, parents and families.
We have a passion for our work and take seriously the responsibilities
that come along with it. We strive to protect children, show reverence
toward parents and enhance families, all while communicating honestly.
We've even developed a set of rules to play by. The amazing thing
is that these rules don't constrain us; they actually open doors
to ideas you might not imagine.
These
"rules" are derived from the spirit, or principles,
that underline CARU's guidelines for advertising directed to children.
Frankly, who could disagree with this?
Tim
Coffey
Chairman
& CEO
WonderGroup
P.S.:
If you like our rules and want a copy of your own, or if you want
to learn more about how WonderGroup can help you create honest,
fair and powerful communication that resonates with your target,
please contact Greg Livingston at 513.357.2950 or
glivingston@wondergroup.com .
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Kids
From Rug Rats to
Gym Rats 
Unless
you are new to the planet, you know that childhood obesity has
been the topic du jour in youth marketing for some time
now. So far, most of the news has been about children's eating
habits and offering healthier food options. However, one company
is growing a nice business for itself by taking a different approach.
My Gym Enterprises® is taking advantage of the need for more
physical activity among children. My Gym offers fitness centers
specifically designed for kids. No, not miniature weights and
tiny treadmills, but fun, custom-designed, state-of-the-art equipment
and built-in swinging and climbing apparatuses. My Gym offers
a variety of physical early-learning/pre-gymnastics classes, birthday
parties and camps. There are parent/child classes for kids as
young as three months old and a majority of the kids who attend
are between the ages of two and five.
WonderGroup's
Perspective
With
so much attention focused on food and food manufacturers, My Gym
Enterprises made a solid strategic decision to focus on the other
part of the childhood obesity equation. However, the company really
hasn't done anything truly revolutionary. It has essentially created
a supervised, indoor playground and intelligently branded it as
a “fitness center.” In generations past, playtime happened more
and was less structured. Parents took their kids outside in the
neighborhood or maybe drove to a park or playground so their kids
could play and have fun. The focus was never really on the physical
fitness aspect. But times are different now. There are less safe
neighborhood play spots and, because families are so time-starved,
playtime occurs less as a natural part of everyday life. My Gym
has struck a chord with today's parents, causing them to gladly
open up their wallets and pay for play.
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Tweens
 Game
On
The
Entertainment Software Rating Board® has set up a new category
for video game ratings. The “E10+” category was created for games
that are suitable for children ages 10 and older. These games
fall between the ones rated “E” for “everyone,” which many tweens
outgrow, and the ones rated “T” for “teen,” which may be too mature
for tweens. Before this new category, many games that were suitable
for tweens were rated “T” because they didn't meet the criteria
to get the more innocent “E” rating. This meant many games that
were actually age-appropriate were ruled off-limits by parents
who refused to allow their tweens to play “T” rated games. This
new rating category acknowledges the very distinct developmental
differences among kids of different ages.
WonderGroup's
Perspective
The
new rating makes perfect sense. Tweens are very different from
both teens and younger children. Given a recent survey that shows
70 percent of parents refer to ratings every time they buy a game,
this new label will mean more choices for tweens. The increase
in the number of possible consumers should translate directly
into greater sales for companies making games that get the “E10+”
rating. The only thing that doesn't make sense in this whole deal
is the board's decision not to evaluate and reclassify existing
games that would be eligible for the new rating.
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Teens
Big Spenders
Teens
helped cash registers sing for retailers this past holiday season.
According to the new “Money Matters Holiday Survey” conducted
before the holidays by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America®,
21 percent of teens surveyed said they planned to spend more than
$100 on holiday gifts this year. Where do teens get this
money? The largest percentage of respondents (31 percent)
said they planned to use their allowance to purchase this year's
holiday gifts, while 24 percent said they would use money earned
from part-time jobs. The survey results also reveal that
teens are sure to plan ahead to save enough money to purchase
holiday gifts. 32 percent of teens surveyed said they began
saving money for gifts one to three months in advance of the holiday
season. When teens are on the receiving end of holiday presents,
money and portable electronics such as cell phones topped their
lists.
WonderGroup's
Perspective
These
spending figures may sound impressive, but they really aren't
a surprise. Teens have a lot of disposable income.
According to a recent Harris Interactive® poll, U.S. teens
spend around $175 billion annually. That breaks down to
over $100 a week (67 percent of that is their own money).
This number has steadily increased an average of 6.4 percent over
the last 6 years and there's no reason to expect that trend to
end anytime soon. It also isn't a surprise that teens are
choosing to spend their money on others during the holiday season.
The behaviors and attitudes of these teens have continually shown
that this generation feels it is better to give than to receive.
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Moms and Families
One and Done
It's
becoming easier and easier for moms and families to get everything
they need in one store, even when that store is not named “Super
Wal-Mart®.” Staples, Inc.® has revealed a partnership
with Stop & Shop Co.® and Giant Food LLC® in which
it will help manage a namesake aisle of school and office supplies
in 550 stores. Staples is already testing a similar concept in
select Kroger® locations. The aisle will offer a broader selection
of basics, such as paper and pens, as well as supplies not usually
found in grocery stores. Other grocery store chains are already
using established brands such as Dunkin' Donuts®, Starbucks®
and Osco Pharmacies® to vie for consumers looking for more
convenience and the opportunity to do one-stop shopping.
WonderGroup's
Perspective
Partnerships
like these work out well for everyone involved. Supermarkets get
the opportunity to build a competitive edge against other retailers
not offering an extensive selection of a particular category,
and oftentimes these products have the added bonus of being more
profitable for stores than the average grocery fare. The entities
operating inside the grocery store chains get an opportunity to
expose their brand and build loyalty among customers who might
not visit their own stores. Consumers enjoy a wider selection
of products, many of which they perceive as high quality because
of the specialty store-within-a-store branding behind them. Many
consumers feel overwhelmed by the size and selection of super
centers, but feel that small stores don't offer enough. This kind
of deal might feel “just right” to these customers.
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Drop Us a Line
Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions or comments or would like to submit
a possible idea for an article in an upcoming issue of Youth
University , please email Adam Siegel at asiegel@wondergroup.com.
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We
hope you find Youth University valuable and helpful. WonderGroup,
a full-service youth marketing agency provides services including:
Advertising, New Product Development, Research and Promotions.
You can learn more about WonderGroup by clicking the wondergroup.com
link below, or by calling
Greg Livingston, glivingston@wondergroup.com,
at (513) 357-2950.
If
you have received this message as a forward, and would like
to receive Youth University monthly, please click on the youthuniversity
link below to sign up for your free subscription.
See
you next issue!
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