COMING
SOON!
 Big
things are
happening to the Youth University™ newsletter!
Over the years,
WonderGroup has been studying the changes between moms and their
children as their relationship has evolved. We call this unique mom-kid
partnership the SuperConsumer™, and we understand how it is
taking the marketing world by storm.
With this in mind, we
have expanded our view to better incorporate this dynamic duo.
You’ll still find articles about kids and youth marketing,
but also be on the lookout for our insights into the modern mom and her
interactions with her family. We hope you’ll explore and
enjoy the new SuperConsumer™ University newsletter, coming
soon to an in-box near you!
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Family
Dinner Time is Alive…but Not Well
By:
Dave Siegel, President of WonderGroup
Many would have us
believe that
the family dinner is again alive and well. In fact, The New
York
Times, in its 2006 article Families
With Full Plates, Sitting Down to Dinner,
reported that 58% of teens now said they ate dinner with their
families at least five times a week—a significant
increase
over the 47% reported 8 years earlier. From the looks of all
the
food ads still on TV and the popularity of the many cooking shows and
recipe web sites one could easily suspect that the family dinner must
be coming back in a strong way.
 If
this were all true, it
would be wonderful. Experts in
adolescent development stress the importance of family meals. Studies
show that the more families eat together, the less likely kids
are to get into trouble, smoke, do drugs, get depressed and
more. Robin Fox, an anthropologist teaching at Rutgers warns us:
“A
meal is about civilizing children. It’s about
teaching them
to be a member of their culture.”
The family dinner is when parents can politely ask their children about
their day. It can foster the bond between parents and their
children and provide social skills and even a sense of
belonging. It also fulfills moms' need to nurture.
WonderGroup used its proprietary mom-u-mentary video research to get a
bird's-eye view of today’s family dinner to see for itself
and
its
clients just what these dinners are really like.
What we found was somewhat troubling…even if the family
dinner
may, in some respect, be alive…in many occaisions, it sure
isn’t well! Here’s just some of what we
observed:
The family
dinner hour has become the family dinner 15 minutes!
And during this time the whole family is actually sitting down together
for only about 8 minutes! Family members are often leaving the table to
answer a phone, get something more out of the fridge, take
bathroom breaks and more.
There are
constant interruptions. Cell phones ring,
TVs blast, kids scream. Often, when the family
does sit together, there is woefully little
dialogue, bonding and/or socializing taking place.
The TV is
often on. In fact, many times the TV is actually serving
as the source
for conversation or the reason to eat together!
There are many implications that can be drawn from these
dinnertime observations: new products that might help mom
ensure
that all food is easily ready and accessible during those precious 15
minutes of family time; conversation starters or simple games
to
be played and talked over together during dinner; even new
ways
to incorporate the TV into conversations... perhaps even a family
review of commercials! Think about it!
If you would like to learn more about what we see concerning family
dinnertime opportunities or about using our mom-u-mentary video
research tools, give us a call.
Have any mom or kid media questions? Want to make your Web site achieve
a better ROI? Want to improve the effectiveness of your
promotional offerings? Give WonderGroup a call. You
can
reach me,
Dave Siegel, at 513.357.2950 or dsiegel@wondergroup.com.
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THE
3-D RENAISSANCE
By:
Erica Minton, WonderGroup Copy Writer
If you haven't been
paying attention, you might have missed what a huge
renaissance 3-D movies are experiencing. And while some of these movies
might entertain adults (parts of Superman Returns® could be
seen in 3-D,
for instance), most of them are movies made for kids.
 Much of the new hype started with
The Polar Express® in 2004. According to
Wikipedia®, the 3-D
version “out-performed the 2-D version by about 14 to
1.”
Several kids’ movies have jumped on board since then, perhaps
most notably Chicken Little®, which was
Disney’s® first
full-length
film using their Real D Cinema® technology.
Of course, the
technology keeps
getting better. Disney’s recent release, Meet the
Robinsons®,
has
been presented in 3-D in 600+ theaters (as opposed to Chicken
Little’s 84). When I saw a preview for the movie
in
3-D, it blew me away. It’s a completely new level of
animation. And judging from the "oohs" and "aahs"
from the
mostly kid audience, the effects aren’t lost on young eyes.
For now, 3-D movies are
a rare
treat. After all, you have to hunt down the participating theaters with
3-D capabilities. These capabilities will become more mainstream if
certain major studios have anything to say about
it. DreamWorks®
recently announced that it intends to “produce all of its
films
in stereoscopic 3-D technology, starting in 2009.”
We’ve already
seen 3-D books,
print ads, commercials and movies. So where does 3-D go from
here? Well, it might not be long before 3-D movies infiltrate
our
homes—and I’m not referring to blue-and-red
cellophane
glasses. In fact, you won’t need glasses at all
when 3-D
televisions roll out. And, if we’re talking 3-D televisions,
we
might as well start to dream about 3-D video games. You also have to
figure that it can’t be long before we start seeing 3-D Web sites.
(Think of what a cool promotional opportunity that is for
marketers!) With the continuing advancement of technology and
the
immense interest from children and adults alike, there’s no
limit
to where 3-D can go next.
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BABY
ME
By:
Erica Minton, WonderGroup Copy Writer
Becoming Mom Pregnancy
Spa & Imaging Center® is a prime
example
of a
business moving to keep up with the trends of the modern mom. Right off
the bat, their mission statement addresses the way today’s
expecting mother is feeling: she is unique, her body is changing and
she has special needs.
Becoming Mom, and
similar spas devoted to expecting mothers, have done
their
homework. A new mom wants the absolute best for her child,
and
she is thirsty for information that supports the choices
she’s
making during these important months. This spa comes with all the
indulgences that you might expect when paying these prices, but as you
delve deeper into the site
you’ll find many services unique
to
the burgeoning industry of keeping new moms happy. (Consider the
Preconception Massage, which touts specific, unique health
benefits.)
However, we
aren’t strictly
talking about healthy choices. We’re also talking
about
luxury. Moms can be treated to the Chocolate Cherry Indulgence
Pedicure, or spring for a private baby shower, during which guests can
be the first to see the bundle of joy via prenatal imaging.
Other
possibilities include viewing ultrasounds online, enjoying a
side-by-side massage for husband and wife, or learning how to give an
infant massage to improve circulation and sleeping patterns.
These extravagant
services all come
with a matching price tag, of course, but today’s mom knows
how
important and fleeting these moments are…and that
she’s
worth it. Many marketers could do well by looking at just how important
the “new mom” market is becoming. Becoming Mom is
simply
one of the many new opportunities for a new mom to spend time alone or
with her
child. Consider exercise programs, entertainment activities, travel
opportunities and much more when you are marketing to today’s
new
mothers.
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THIS MOVIE IS FOR BRATZ®
By:
Ashley Stock, WonderGroup Account Executive
Bratz: The Movie is a
forthcoming,
live-action feature film based on the popular Bratz fashion doll line
by MGA Entertainment. The film's release date is set for
August 10, 2007. Producers promise that,
“we will
see how the four young women represent honesty, camaraderie and most
importantly, friendship.”
"So, what is this film about?" you may ask . . .
"The
most popular fashion dolls in America make the leap to the big screen
in this live-action adventure that follows four diverse teenage girls
as each rejects her respective clique in favor of forming a group where
friendship takes precedence over popularity."
–
Jason Buchanan, All
Movie Guide
A soundtrack will be
released on
July 31, 2007 and will feature artists like Atomic Kitten, T-Pain,
Ludacris, T-Squad and other artists.
Bratz has quickly become one of the world's foremost toy lines and
girls' lifestyle brands since its introduction in 2001. The Bratz array
of spin-off
products include a Bratz magazine, a top-rated animated series on 4
KidsTV®, a number of DVD titles and videogames, as well as a
number-one-selling album on the Billboard Children's Chart® and
multiple lines
of clothing, footwear and other accessories.
Bratz' popularity among young girls is unmatched. However, to be
successful, the movie will have to overcome many parents' disapproval
of midriff-bearing divas. A second potential stumbling block
to box-office success is the movie's lack of male appeal.
Sisters are going to have a hard time convincing their
brothers that Bratz is the summer movie their family should
see.
Despite all of this,
there is no question that the property's popularity with girls will
make the movie big in theaters and even bigger on DVD. And
look for Bratz movie fans to gobble up the CD and other licensed
products as well.
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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 e-mail the editor, 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 visiting WonderGroup.com,
or by calling Dave Siegel, dsiegel@wondergroup.com
at 513.357.2950.
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