Thursday, December 17, 2009

Roy Disney's brand strategy legacy


Sometimes it's the quiet guy who makes the biggest waves. Roy Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, longtime Disney board member and avid sailboat racer, died yesterday at the age of 79. He left a legacy that anyone in the children's entertainment or marketing business should pay close attention to.

1. Stay true to your core. In the 1980s Roy grew frustrated with Disney company management and likened the company to "a real-estate company that happened to be in the movie business." (Los Angeles Times, 12/17/09). It was time to get back to the company's core roots, i.e. the feature animation film business.

2. Clear out the dead wood,
bad apples and in-laws, if necessary. If there people within your organization that are not upholding or enhancing your brand's mission and values, particularly at the highest levels of the company, get them out of the way as quickly as possible. Ousting of company executives, first with Ron Miller (Walt Disney's son-in-law) and later with a shareholder revolt against Michael Eisner (whom Roy had helped bring into the company) certainly was not a pleasant process, but a necessary one.

3. Evangelize. "It was Roy who was the protector. It was Roy who was the godfather, the champion and believer in it," said Peter Schneider, former President of Walt Disney Feature Animation, "Animation doesn't work without someone who believed, and Roy believed." (LA Times)

4. Protect the brand. "People always underestimated Roy," said Schneider. "You underestimate Roy at your peril, as many have learned." It does appear as though company management is finally on track, as anyone can attest with Disney's string of recent animation, film, TV and other on-brand success stories.

5. Continue the legacy. "Roy's commitment to the art of animation was unparalleled and will always remain his personal legacy and one of his greatest contributions to Disney's past, present and future," said Bob Iger, current Disney company president, who early on made peace with Roy Disney. Smart move.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

And the shark jumped over New Moon


So I finally, finally got a chance to see New Moon. Yeah, you know, that one. The one with the cult-like following that’s breaking box office records? Maybe you’ve seen it twice already. All I have to say is… oh, what a disappointment. I laughed my way through almost the entire movie and not because the film was intended to be funny.

I did see the first Twilight movie and I’ve read the first two books. I wouldn’t call myself a fan necessarily, but I find the series to be entertaining – as well as wholesome—in a vampire meets werewolf love triangle sort of way of course. The first movie was pretty bad, mostly due to the lame special effects, poor acting and uninspired dialogue. With a new director, a new budget and the promise of a clan of shirtless young boys I had higher hopes for New Moon. How bad could it be?

Bad. I had a serious case of the giggles that began with the cheesy opening credits, increased with each gratuitous shirtless scene and glitter-glue-on-the-face special effect and resulted into flat out laughter when Bella and Edward took a Estee Lauder perfume ad-like jaunt through the woods.

Apparently I wasn’t the only theater goer who found the movie laughable. It seemed as if we (teens, moms, young girls, gray-haired couples) were all laughing and giggling at this ridiculous high-budget B-movie quality film.

So what on earth is driving sales? One thing: romance. Pure and simple, the Twilight saga connects with us on a deeper level and does an excellent job in this regard. What Stephanie Meyer has brilliantly done is created a brand that speaks to women and girls in a new old-fashioned way. When was the last time you saw a really good romantic film or read a great romance that wasn’t filled with gratuitous sex, violence or both? In my opinion, the market is wide open on this one. Even better, content creators and marketers don't even need to worry too much about quality.

Say what you want about vampires and werewolves being the next big craze, but it’s not about that. That’s just the icing—er, eyecandy—on the cake.

P.S. Go TEAM JACOB!!!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

A hop, skip and an inside look at what's ahead for Hopscotch in 2010


Wow, December already. November was a flurry of activity and I didn’t even have time to write a single blog post. Not that you needed to pay close attention... perhaps you couldn't even find the blog. That's because I changed the name and the URL. The Hopscotch Consulting business strategy has shifted somewhat as well, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

First let me tell you about November. November was National Novel Writing Month or (NaNoWriMo). On a whim I decided to participate. The challenge seemed daunting – what kind of person can write 50,000 words in a month and create some semblance of a storyline? I can, I discovered, and that was exciting. The fire is now lit under my rear end to finish this book as well as one other novel that I’m co-writing with a friend that we began last year. My goal is to have both complete by spring 2010.

So, here comes the change in strategy part. Hopscotch will now exclusively focus on more of the content and brand strategy side of things, in other words, copywriting, editing, strategic planning, a bit of focused research and analysis.

If you think that you might want to work with me, please check out the newly revised Hopscotch Consulting website and list of services that I offer. Then, let’s talk!

In the meantime… Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

TV viewing is alive and well


In case you were wondering if kids were watching less TV now that we have so many new and exciting new media options, including online games, virtual worlds, consoles, iPods –not to mention the media blitz surrounding the links between TV watching and childhood obesity— in fact, TV watching is actually on the rise. At an eight-year high, according to a new Nielsen study released yesterday.

The report states that children ages 2-5 spend an average of 32+ hours a week in front of the TV. Children ages 6-11 watch about 28 hours per week. TV watching is now defined as watching what is currently on TV, watching playback programming via DVR, DVDs and videos.

As the Nielsen report states, "While 97% of kids’ viewing is through live TV, younger kids spend more time than the older group viewing via DVR, DVD and, to a lesser extent, VCR. Four percent of kids aged 2-5 watch via those devices on average across total day compared to 2.3% for those aged 6-11. Their considerable use of these devices at a young age points to them being able to adopt new devices comfortably as they grow up."


Also of note, especially for you media literacy types: younger children watch more commercials than the older kids. Is anyone surprised?

Friday, October 9, 2009

Educating Kids (and Moms) About Advertising


Holy government intervention, Batman! Two things happened this week that caused me to smile:

1.The FTC finally issued a crackdown on mommy bloggers who write product endorsements without disclosing their relationships with those products (i.e. they got the products for free or—even better—they are getting paid to write the review) and
2. The FTC is also reviewing standards and practices around advertising to kids.

As David Vladeck, the new director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection is quoted in this week's MediaPost article "The distinction between ads and other content is often blurred to the point that even older kids may not get when they are being pitched," he said. "The goals are to teach kids to be aware of ads, analyze and understand them, and the benefits of being an informed consumer."

The FTC actions include a new educational campaign aimed at tweens next year that will teach kids how to recognize and analyze advertising.

That's all fine and good, but what about the advertisers? As Meredith from YPulse points out in her update from this week's CARU conference, the discussions centered around "reconciling the unilateral marketing standards of the past with the ubiquitous connectivity and multiple platforms of the new media landscape. As the regulatory processes continue to be fine tuned and consumers of all ages become more active players (whether as Facebook fans, content creators, bloggers, etc.), we see a shift from messaging as a one-way broadcast to an ongoing dialogue with youth."

It's an interesting issue and one that is going to be mighty tough to regulate when the lines between advertising, editorial, social media, wireless communications and even mommy’s blog are blurred.

Marketers love tweens and moms right now. And why wouldn't they? Collectively tweens have a spending power of over $30 billion and they influence about 70% of household purchases. And their mothers, who influence 85 percent of their household purchases, collectively spend about $2.1 trillion per year.

Women and children of America, unite! The advertising issue is one that by and large, will be solved by you. Education begins at home.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Miley Cyrus mega marketing--oops I mean concert-- review

It wasn’t the $39.50 tickets that somehow turned into $75 with fees and taxes. Or the hour-plus drive to and from Tacoma. Or the collective eardrum-piercing high-pitched screams from thousands of pre-teen girls. Or the wait to buy overpriced concert merchandise like a $10 glow stick (that should not have cost more than 25 cents.) Or the Walmart mannequins and banners lining the walls promoting the new Miley Cyrus clothing line. Or even the fashion booths (also Walmart) where moms and girls lined up their picture taken in front of a green screen next to Miley and other models wearing her new clothing line. No, no. I fully expected and embraced all of that.

The surprise was that the Miley/Disney/Walmart/Touchstone/ marketing machine took center stage on stage and passed for entertainment. Now, I know what you’re thinking… I’m in the business; nothing should shock me, right? Advertising is the new entertainment. But after having to suffer through the opening act (Metro Station, headed by Miley’s brother Trace Cyrus), the band closed with "Shake it" which also doubled as a…. Walmart advertisement. Every single video screen was devoted to promoting the Miley Cyrus clothing line as models danced on a runway showing off their new threads. Admittedly, the video was well produced and the song was catchy, but still. It’s an ad. On stage. Tacky.

That was just the beginning, the icebreaker if you will (incidentally, Miley herself opened up the show pounding inside a fake chunk of ice and then had a “Breakout” moment where she suddenly appeared amidst ‘fire’ and smoke—very This is Spinal Tap if you ask me but I digress…). Where was I? Oh right, back to the advertising-as-entertainment. Three or four songs into her performance, Miley paused for reflective moment. She told us about what a great summer she had on Tybee Island in Georgia: “It really gave me a chance to connect with people I love most in my life…” she said. “And now… to show you what I’m talking about, I’d like to show you a clip from my latest movie, The Last Song.” Really? We get to watch a movie trailer in the middle of a concert? Disney/Touchstone, you’ve reached a new low. I would like my money back! But wait—that's not all. Miley of course sang a few songs from the movie (the songs are not bad and Miley does truly have a lovely voice when she’s not screaming or violently flipping her hair). Perhaps the concert promoters thought we'd get bored if there wasn't enough going on on stage during one of her slow songs, so they played more movie clips while she sang. Why bother to go see the movie when you can see all the main scenes during the concert? Good grief.

I don't know, maybe I'm the only one who's bothered by this kind of insidious marketing. My 7 year-old daughter, her friend and the thousands of other little girls at the Tacoma Dome thought it was the best of both worlds.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Back to school retail roundup


If you’ve seen the trailer for The September Issue, a documentary film about the fashion industry, you’ll understand why fall is such a critical time.

For kid, tween and teen retailers, back to school is the equivalent of the September issue.

While the economy has affected the situation somewhat, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 Back to School Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average family with students in grades kindergarten through 12 is expected to spend $548.72 on school merchandise, a decline of 7.7 percent from $594.24 in 2008. Total spending on back to school is expected to reach $17.42 billion. 2009 back-to-college and back-to-school spending combined will total $47.50 billion.

And that's about it for the bad news. The good news? According to recent research from Burst Media on back-to-school shopping habits, "only 15.7% of shoppers will spend less money this back-to-school season and almost one-quarter (24.9%) will actually spend more money than last year."

So, then, where is everyone shopping? Which retailers have the best merchandise? Which brands have the best campaigns?

Ypulse featured a great post yesterday "What Worked in This Year's Back to School Campaigns." It's a terrific summary of this year's best BTS promotions and current youth marketing best practices.

Our favorites? Nordstrom's Twilight Saga: New Moon promotion, including exclusive movie merchandise, Kmart's "Schoolebrity" campaign, featuring a sweepstakes, games and special layaway programs, and Sears' "Arrive Lounge” featuring celebrity Selena Gomez.

Let us know your favorites as well. Also, Targeting Kids is on the lookout for cause-related marketing campaigns (both current and up and coming) that target kids, tweens or teens so please let us know about those too.

Happy back to school shopping!




Monday, July 6, 2009

What PBS can teach us about educational children’s media

PBS Kids recently earned the distinction as the #1 educational children’s media brand, according to a new GFK Roper survey that polled over 1,000 U.S. adults in April, asking questions about PBS Kids as compared to Leapfrog, Nick, Jr., Playhouse Disney, Noggin, Discovery Kids, National Geographic Kids, KOL (a.k.a AOL for Kids) and YahooKids, among others.

Surprise? Not to those who already know and love all things PBS Kids, including popular programs/brands such as Sesame Street, Word World, Super Why and Cyberchase.

According to the study, “PBS KIDS excels at addressing key curriculum areas and children’s cognitive and social/emotional developmental needs. Respondents concurred that PBS succeeds in delivering important topics to young viewers with reading and literacy (80%) ranking as the topic that PBS speaks to best. Other developmental areas that follow literacy include the arts (75%), science/technology/engineering/math (74%), social/emotional development (74%), healthy living (73%), and the environment (71%).”

Can any other educational children's brands be held to such a high standard? Apparently not. Truth be told, the FCC is partially to blame. The Children's Television Act (CTA) enacted by Congress in 1990, requires broadcasters to provide at least three hours a week of educational/informational (E/I) programming for kids between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. But there's no definition of what "educational" actually means. Therefore, it's no big surprise that a 2008 Annenberg study found that merely 25% of E/I shows were of "minimal educational value." Worse, nearly 70% of the shows aimed at school-age kids contained violence and harsh language.

But this blog isn't aimed at parents who have ample reason to turn off their television sets forever. It's targeted at you (and me): the children's media producer, the brand marketer, the content creator, the television executive, the toy licensor; those of us who fuel the amazing machine that churns out kids media and the related "stuff" that goes along with it. You and I both know that a lot of it is pure crap. And that it contains absolutely no educational value whatsoever.

So now what? I say take a few pointers from PBS Kids. Here are a few:

1. Establish a curriculum. Don't know how to do this? Hire a curriculum consultant! There are plenty of them out there and they would love to work with you.
2. Pick a subject area (or two) and stick with it - i.e. math/science, social/emotional, language development. Keep it simple, keep it fun.
3. Form an educational advisory board (yes, with real educators and child development specialists) to review scripts, storyboards, even licensing deals - to ensure that everything is on brand and that the content meets the highest standards possible.
4. Determine how you will measure the success and educational outcomes of your children's media property (hint: your curriculum consultant and/or educational advisory board can help you do this).
5. Get an independent, ideally educationally-based organization to conduct a research study or brand audit. For example, a Georgetown University study, "Educational TV: 30 Years of Sesame Street Research" found that the children who had watched more Sesame Street as young children had higher school performance as adolescents, as measured by grades in English, math, science and overall GPA.

Can your children's media brand pass the test?

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Marketing to Kids: Our favorite titles


“The average 10-year-old has memorized about 400 brands, the average kindergartner can identify some 300 logos and from as early as age two kids are "bonded to brands." Some may call it brainwashing, others say it's genius; regardless of how you see it, the approach is the same: target young kids directly and consistently, appeal to them and not the adults in their lives and get your product name in their heads from as early an age as possible.” --- Juliet Schor, Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture

According to recent research “even in these tough economic times, tweens wield $43 billion in spending power annually, and influence the spending of billions more on everything from cell phones to vacations to automobiles.” Statistics also show that kids and tweens influence another $150 billion of their parents' spending. So what are we to do with this information?

Wherever you stand on the issue of marketing to kids and teens, there’s no disputing that (done right), an early investment in the kids and tweens business can be a driving force in your company’s future and long term success. The question is… how do you do it right?

We at Hopscotch Consulting spend a lot of time pondering this issue, advising companies on appropriate marketing campaigns and brand strategies that empower kids (and don't exploit.) We have lots of great ideas and insights; eventually we'll write our own book. In the meantime, we'd like to share a number of titles on the topic that tackle the issue of marketing to kids from multiple angles:

Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives
By John Palfrey and Urs Gasser
As a lawyers who specialize in intellectual property and information issues, Palfrey and Gasser discuss the ways "downloading, text-messaging, massively multiplayer game-playing, YouTube-watching" youth are transforming society.

Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture
By Juliet Schor
Schor exposes what she believes to be a huge cesspool of materialism, consumerism and commercialization that perhaps is leading to a generation of kids that won't learn what is important and truly necessary in life.

Brand Child: Remarkable Insights into the Minds of Today's Global Kids & Their Relationships with Brands
By Martin Lindstrom and Patricia B. Seybold
Brand Child provides a comprehensive account on how current tweens perceive brands, react to marketing and decide to spend their considerable financial buying power.

Buy, Buy Baby: How Consumer Culture Manipulates Parents and Harms Young Minds
by Susan Gregory Thomas
"The moment a baby can see clearly, she becomes a consumer." Investigative journalist Thomas interviewed child development experts, product developers, marketing consultants and educators in this exposé on how marketers are targeting young minds - even before they leave the womb.

Consumer Kids: How Big Business is Grooming Our Children for Profit
By: Ed Mayo and Agnes Nairn
How do children become targeted by big business and why does it matter? Mayo and Nairn show how corporations have exploited and packaged childhood and why too much marketing can make you unhappy.

Creating Ever-Cool: A Marketer's Guide to a Kid's Heart
By: Gene Del Vecchio
What's secret formula for achieving “ever-cool” status- one of the key attributes that the most successful kids’ products have in common? Del Vecchio provides some great tips on how to best establish a lifelong relationship with the youth market.

Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail
By Kit Yarrow, Jayne O'Donnell
Yarrow and O'Donnell argue that Gen Y consumers have revolutionized the way Americans shop by turning traditional sales and marketing strategies upside down. The book offers an in-depth look at what motivates these young people to buy certain products and reject others.

Getting Wiser to Teens: More Insights into Marketing to Teenagers
By: Peter Zollo
This book gives readers a thorough understanding of what teens think, feel, and need, what they do, what they buy, and how marketers should--and shouldn't--reach them.

The Great Tween Buying Machine: Capturing Your Share of the Multi-Billion-Dollar Tween Market
By: David L. Siegel, Timothy J. Coffey, Gregory Livingston
What drives tweens, and what are the social and personal implications for this market? This book explores how this target market has changed over the last few years and reveals key information on how to expand a company's marketing base.

Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation
By: Don Tapscott
As a result of their access to the digital media, today’s kids, teens, and tweens learn, work, think, shop and create differently than their parents. This book provides valuable insights for marketers who wish to understand this new generation that is surrounded by high-tech toys and tools from birth (full disclosure- when some of us at Hopscotch were employed by FreeZone.com back in the mid 1990s we worked with Don in providing many key insights)

The Kids Market: Myths and Realities
By: James U. McNeal
Called the "godfather of kids marketing," by U.S. News and World Report, James McNeal shares all his knowledge gained from years of experience marketing to kids in the USA and Asia.

Marketing to the New Super Consumer: Mom & Kid
By: Timothy Coffey, David Siegel and Gregory Livingston
Insights into understanding how moms make shopping decisions and how children are very much involved in the decision-making process.

Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online
By: Anastasia Goodstein
Ypulse founder and blogger Anastasia Goodstein explains how teens use technology--including the benefits and drawbacks--and how parents can set realistic boundaries in cyberspace.

What Kids Buy and Why

By: Daniel Acuff and Robert H Reiher
Grounded in brain development with a sound underpinning of why kids behave as they do at specific ages and across gender, Acuff and Reiher take you behind the scenes of many major successful brands.

Got a favorite book to share? Let us know!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

So much texting, so little interest in mobile marketing

My cell phone woke me up at the crack of dawn this morning. I thought, “Who could be texting me this early?!” Is it an emergency? Does a friend need some help? I anxiously reached over to my nightstand and quickly opened my phone. It was an auto company wanting to give me a 20% discount if I texted back “SAVE.” Talk about a rude introduction to mobile marketing.

According to a research study that was presented last week in New York by Peter Johnson, VP of market intelligence and strategy at the Mobile Marketing Association, “Mobile marketing represents 1.8% of all marketing expenditures in 2009, and while this may seem like a small number, the average mobile marketing budgets are growing by 26% per year…this growth, it should be noted, is happening when marketers are seeing a 7% drop in their average marketing budgets.”

Also recently released, results from the second annual Vlingo Consumer Mobile Messaging Habits Report show that this year, "nearly 60% of mobile phone owners use their phones to text, with 94% of teens the largest user group, and 20-somethings at 87%.”

With these surprising numbers, you would think that teens are a great target and would respond well to mobile marketing. Teens have embraced texting more rapidly than the other demographics and texting has become their ultimate direct response vehicle. However, there is another side to the research which shows that teens do not want to be bothered with SMS ads and they don’t like to use a short code displayed in an advertisement. At the recent YPulse Youth Marketing Mashup in San Francisco last week, Fuse presented their study which found that even though SMS ads were up 30% this year, less than 10% of teens surveyed approved of those messages or wanted to be marketed to via that platform.

So what's a marketer to do? Teens are more likely to respond to contests or freebies such as cool downloads, exclusive content and other items of value. In fact, according to a 2008 survey by the Direct Marketing Association, 19% of teens ages 15 to 17 have responded to a mobile phone offer. So my big question is: if teens are drivers of change in society, can they drive change in mobile advertising as well?

-- Posted by Chelsie Friend, Research Assistant, Hopscotch Consulting

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

A mishmash of thoughts from the Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup



I just returned from a whirlwind trip to San Francisco where I attended the Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup. Overall I thought the conference was superb. I give a huge amount of credit to Anastasia Goodstein and everyone at Ypulse who helped "shape the discussion about how marketers, media and non-profit organizations connect with youth" (this is their boilerplate mission statement and I love it.)

Rather than get into any detail on specific panels and presentations, I'm just going to give you the quick and dirty sound bytes, buzzwords and quotes that made it into my conference notes:

Anastasia Goodstein, YPulse: "Trends may change but the core needs of teens and youth don't change. All teens want to connect with friends, spend time hanging out, figure out who they are and seek validation/fame."

Josh Shipp, HeyJosh.com: "Teens don't give a crap about your brand. If you are authentic, and figure out a way to make your self distinguishable, then you have the right to communicate. If you don't add value to your target audience, then you should not exist."

Doug Sweeney, Levi's: "Authentically insert your brand into culture and utilize multi-faceted ideas. Content is king."

Bill Carter, Fuse: "Stop wasting your marketing budget. Listen to teens."

Jacqueline Lane, SurveyU: "Awareness + useage + loyalty does not necessarily equal brand advocacy and success. You need to now consider corporate responsibility and ethics as well."

Don Tapscott, author: "If you understand youth, you understand the future."

Kate Connally, AddictingGames.com/ Nickelodeon: "Put your audience first. Build multitasking into game play. Add categories that build into their daily lives."

Lauren Puglia, Undercurrent: "Be experimental. If you screw up, fess up and then move on. Not everything has to be about ROI."

Rebecca McQuigg, The Intelligence Group: "Know your audience. Know where they are. Teens are not twittering. Make sure your marketing strategy is in line with who you’re trying to target."

Paul Yanover, Disney Online: "Create tons of engagement."

Jon Gaskell, Smarty Pig: "This generation doesn't think about money the way we do. They're not depressed about it. Money is purely a means to an end."

Matthew Palmer, Stardoll: "Tween girls don't carry credit cards. Pure ROI can't always be measurable."

Donna Fenn, author: "Teen entrepreneurship is the new lemonade stand."

And then Guy Kawasaki walked in the room and began moderating the final panel of the day. But it was time for me head to the airport...

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Scholastic's Book Fair Flak

Has Scholastic gone too far? Or are parents and teachers naive to think that kids will actually purchase what is good for them (i.e. 'real' books)? Or, perhaps, is this part of a much larger and sinister plot on behalf of all kids marketers to get kids to buy more and more and more licensed crap-- oops I mean creative merchandise?

Check out this week's press release from the CCFC:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - May 19 - “Stop enlisting teachers to sell toys, make-up, and brands to students through book clubs.” That’s what more than 1,200 teachers said in a letter the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood sent to Scholastic, Inc., the world’s largest educational publishing company. CCFC sent the letter, signed exclusively by teachers, after a review of Scholastic’s 2008 elementary and middle school Book Club flyers found that one-third of the items for sale were either not books, like the M&M Kart Racing Wii videogame, or were books packaged with other products, such as lip gloss and jewelry.

I attended my first Scholastic Book Fair this fall and I have to agree... it did feel like the licensed merchandise was taking center stage, and as a parent I was completely put off. Then again, if you give a kid $5, what are they going to choose? This year's Caldecot winner, or something they already recognize and like?

Let me know what you think.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Butting in on the Burger King-SpongeBob ad campaign debate


In case you missed it, Burger King and SpongeBob have stirred up a little controversy over their latest co-branded TV commercial promoting the 99-cent Kids Meals (and square butts, apparently.) Before I tell you what I think, I'll get you up to speed on what everyone else thinks:

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is issuing a "Spongebob and Sexualization Don't Mix" campaign to remove the ads. "It’s bad enough when companies use a beloved media character like SpongeBob to promote junk food to children, but it’s utterly reprehensible when that character simultaneously promotes objectified, sexualized images of women,” said CCFC director Dr. Susan Linn, a psychologist at the Judge Baker Children's Center.

According to the Washington Post, Burger King and Nickelodeon have issued the following statements:

"The 99-cent BK Kids Meal is a value-based offer aimed at adults and requires an adult BK Value Meal purchase. This value offering enables the entire family to enjoy an affordable quality meal. As with all Burger King adult advertising campaigns, the SpongeBob commercial
featuring Sir Mix-A-Lot's famous song airs only during shows targeting adult audiences, and with the King and a popular '90s rapper as the headliners, is meant to appeal to the adults who take their families to Burger King restaurants for good food and entertainment. This commercial is intended to show that even adults can have fun, laugh and be silly with entertainment genres -- such as rap and pop culture icons -- that have become part of everyday life. We also developed a second, completely different SpongeBob advertising campaign for kids, which is currently airing on kid-targeted programming."

Nickelodeon issued a similar statement:

"The Burger King ad is intended to be an adult-targeted and humorous take on the SpongeBob character's iconic "square" pants set to a famous pop song from the '90s. It is running on adult-targeted networks. This year marks SpongeBob SquarePants' landmark 10th anniversary, and with a monthly adult viewership of 45 million people above the age of 18, the intention was to offer a funny and playful take on the character for that audience."

Okay... so what do we have here? An adult targeted ad that is promoting what, exactly-- kids meals? Square butts? A really old (albeit catchy) Sir Mix A Lot song? As a feminist I kind of get the CCFC's point about the "objectified, sexualized" images of women, but fail to see how the butt shaking damages kids in any way, at least no more than say, Madagascar's "I like to Move it Move It." And then we have the canned BK/Nickelodeon response about the adult targeting. Which would make sense if... they weren't using the kid-targeted Kids Meal and the popular kids brand SpongeBob as the major themes of the ad. Never mind that the ad ran on "adult air time." It's all over YouTube now. And then there's the question of the big/square butts... which is supposed to make us want to... eat burgers? Or watch more SpongeBob?

Even if you can for a minute, set aside all of the ifs, ands and/or but(t)s --I still fail to see how this campaign promotes either brand.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

The Best of Both Worlds: Predicting yet another Hannah Montana success story


With the Hannah Montana movie opening tomorrow, I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a prediction: it's going to be a huge box office success. How do I know this? Everything about the marketing and branding machine behind all things Hannah and Miley have been carefully orchestrated to optimal effect. Cute, wholesome teenage girl that doesn't remotely remind us of Britney, Paris or Lindsay? Check. Story line with a moderately appealing plot? Check. Perfectly timed movie release around Easter and spring break? Check.

This week's LA Times article, "Miley Cyrus Blaze of Modesty" further points out that the "ultra Disneyfied" fashions reflect the shift toward more parent-friendly tween fashions. And according to Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families manage kids media, the movie "is upbeat and perfectly G rated ... yet another marketing tool in Hannah's merchandise-rich world. The sexuality is completely innocent -- flirting, slow dancing, conversations about relationships, and three really short kisses -- and there's no language, drinking, or smoking. Expect frequent physical comedy (pratfalls, getting hit with a ball, bitten by an animal, etc.) and one scene in which Hannah and Tyra Banks fight over a pair of shoes."

So there you have it. What's not to love? Disney figured out a long time ago that the success of their brands depends not only on the popularity with kids but just as importantly with their parents. It's a winning combination. And that, I must say, is the best of both worlds.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Exploring Dora the uproar


What's the big deal about Dora growing up? She's still "sweet, wholesome and adventurous, a perfect role model..." according to Mattel and Nickelodeon execs. She's just now, well, older. And therein lies the problem.

This new "tween" Dora, which is really just an interactive doll with a USB port and some new online adventures, has really hit a negative nerve among its core target audience, according to a recent AP article. And in my opinion, justifiably so. Remember "new" Coke? Tropicana? Allowing Dora to grow up is not just a brand extension, it's a major change in brand strategy.

I'm amazed that with all of the marketing and strategy muscle behind Mattel and Nickelodeon, they failed to recognize this basic premise.

Just because parents indicated that they wanted "a way to keep Dora in their children's lives and have their daughters move on to a toy that was age appropriate" does not mean that the core property (especially one that has been so successful to date) needs a makeover. It just signals an opportunity for a brand extension. Why couldn't they just create a new character, say, with a similar strategy as Diego? Hey, now there's a novel idea.

The older Dora doesn't even look like the Dora we know and love... and that's probably the saddest part. Once they launch this toy in the fall, there's no going back. I wish they'd just give her a new name. She could be a long-lost cousin, older friend, new stepsister. Anything.

Jean-Pierre Dube, professor of marketing at the University of Chicago's graduate school of business nails it on the head: "A lot of people think of Dora as something for their small kids. And part of the reason people like Dora is because it teaches their kids to be inquisitive and curious in an educational way, because no one wants their kids to grow up fast...people really cherish and value what Dora represents, and if you start trying to license that out or extend that brand, this is a really risky thing to do," he says.









Monday, March 2, 2009

Look Mom, candy mints that sure pack a nicotine punch!

Question: Are the cigarette makers really, truly targeting kids? Answer: of course they are.

This is such a tired topic, so I'm a tad surprised that I'm choosing to comment on it. Yet it has such a fun new little twist...

In case you haven't heard, Orbs Dissolvable Tobacco is being test marketed in Portland, Columbus and Indianapolis by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. These little pellets look like mints (and taste like...I don't know what but my guess is that they don't taste like crushed up cigarettes). Reynolds is also planning to test the Orbs in a chewable stick and a strip form later this spring.

The critics are already upset, understandably so:

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says "They are likely to appeal to children because they are flavored and packaged like candy, are easy to conceal even in a classroom and carry the Camel brand that is already so popular with underage smokers."

And the American Cancer Society says "it's a very dangerous product for children, who tend to become addicted more quickly."

R.J. Reynolds-- of course-- says the product is meant for adults and has warning labels on the package and can only be sold to adults 18 and older.

So here is my question: Is there anything about this product that isn't designed with kids in mind? Let's see... the candy-like flavor? The youthful colors and packaging? The cute camel silhouette? The highly addictive nature of the product? The fact that it's technically "off limits?"

Sara Troy Machir, spokeswoman of Star Scientific, a small tobacco company that sells two dissolvable products, Ariva and Stonewall is quoted in USA Today as saying "Teens like risk-taking behavior and a tablet, unlike a cigarette, won't lure them."

Wow. Did she really say that?

So really, it's a win-win for the tobacco companies. Continue the cradle-to-grave strategy (literally) by continuing to market to kids with not one, but multiple product offerings. Kids who don't initially go for the all-American appeal of the bright packaging and sweet candy-like taste of product number 1 might like the "risk taking" appeal and stench of the old standby product number 2.

Monday, February 23, 2009

The lure of cheap online advertising, the new economy... and you


Do you want the good news first, or the bad news? It all depends on which side of the advertising coin you fall on...

Oh, all right, I'll give you the good news first: online advertising is becoming cheaper than ever. According to a recent Business Week article, Ad networks (the ones that buy space on lots of little sites as opposed to a few large ones) are transforming the industry in such a way that many big, traditional advertisers are choosing to shift their budgets.

"Several industry sources estimate that, out of the $8 billion advertisers spent on display ads last year, 70% went directly to Web sites and 30% to ad networks. This year, based on spending shifts in the past month or so, they project the mix could move to 50-50."
What does this mean? First, advertising is a lot less expensive (as low as $2 per 1,000 views as opposed to $40 per CPM) and second, your ads can be viewed by a whole host of target audiences and sub-targets that you might not ordinarily reach.

The bad news? If you're a content provider, times are tough. The whole industry is changing and it would be very difficult, if not impossible for a media outlet to survive on a diet of advertising dollars alone. But I bet you knew that already. Aside from the major kids entertainment players who still churn out original content on a regular basis (i.e. Disney, Nickelodeon, PBSKids, KOL, Discovery) nearly everyone else has shifted to a virtual world, gaming, retail or software-based business model.

The other bad news? If you are advertising to kids or their parents, your ads could show up on sites that --shall we say --aren't exactly in line with your brand. And you might not even know about it.

My advice? It all depends on your brand. What are you advertising? Who are you trying to reach? If kids are your primary target, you might be better off spending your precious ad dollars somewhere else (even if the CPM is higher) for no other reason than to preserve your brand's integrity. However, if the parent audience is the one you seek, go for it. Moms and Dads surf the net constantly, they've completely taken over Facebook, and the Mommy blogging community is growing about as fast as these ad networks are growing rich.

Monday, February 9, 2009

The key to parents' pocketbooks? Free - and family friendly

Like many Americans, I find myself spending a little more time each month reviewing the monthly expenses now that we're in the midst of these exciting economic times. What I discovered though surprised me. I've given up on many of my favorite discount chains, warehouse clubs and specialty retailers in favor of something else entirely: the lure of a kid-friendly shopping environment, often with built-in free childcare.

My children are now almost 2 and 6 - and although I love them dearly; I absolutely despise shopping with them. The whining, the frequent bathroom trips, the standing up in the shopping cart... it's enough to drive a mother away from her favorite stores. Take grocery shopping, for instance. I used to love the convenience, prices and club card discounts at our neighborhood Safeway. The specialty items and inexpensive wines I found at Trader Joe's. Shopping in bulk at Costco. Supporting local farmers and selecting from cleverly selected kid-approved items at PCC. No more. Now I shop almost exclusively at QFC or drive across town to Fred Meyer. Why? Because they offer free childcare. I drop my children off at the "Quality Fun Center" or Fred Meyer's Kids Club and my kids have fun drawing pictures, playing dress-up or racing toy cars while I shop. In peace. Which gives me time to think: wouldn't Trader Joe's, Safeway, Costco or PCC like to have a piece of my family's $800 monthly grocery budget back in their pockets? What's holding them back? And, by the way, does QFC or Fred Meyer have any idea how much more money is coming to them because of their childcare offerings? I don't think so - they don't even promote the service online or offer any information about it other than what you can find out in store.

How about some of my other, formerly favorite retailers: Target? You stock so many great kids products and I love your merchandise, but my kids act so poorly in your store, it's just not worth it. There's no place for my kids to go except go crazy. Nordstrom? Used to love you too, especially when I could breastfeed my children in your luxurious women's lounge areas and park my stroller in an oversized dressing room. No more. The fish tank in the kids department just doesn't cut it.

At this stage (and by the way, retailers, it's a long stage... I don't anticipate that my kids are going to improve their behavior or suddenly gain loads of patience for many years to come) I find myself exclusively shopping at stores or dining at restaurants that are family friendly. Take Barnes & Noble. Never used to shop there before; was more of an Amazon.com or independent book store kind of girl. But now I heart Barnes & Noble and even bought into their membership program because I anticipate shopping there much more in the future. The story times, kids play area and free gift wrapping completely sucked me in. Outside of the holidays, I don't gift-wrap anything. Period. So that means that if a retailer does not offer this service to me for free, I won't shop there. It's just not worth it. I recently joined a gym. Why? Free childcare. Well - it's not free exactly ($3/hour) but free enough for me. Ditto for restaurants. High chairs, kids menus and crayons are so yesterday. Now when our family goes out to eat, we venture to places like the Montlake Alehouse, complete with padded kids mosh pit and dozens of toys, or Vios, an upscale Greek restaurant with a separate kids play area.

Now I do realize that this kind of thinking may not be especially financially savvy on my part. An article in yesterday's Seattle Times outlined 7 Bad Money Habits (and how to cure them). What's the number 1 bad money habit on the list: The lure of "free." Even Dan Ariely, the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions" is quoted in the article as having purchased the wrong car (car!) because Audi offered free oil changes for three years (about a $200 value.)

All I'm saying is that many retailers, restaurants, grocery chains, fitness centers, nail salons and the like could all benefit immensely from the lure of "free." Need help developing a strategy? Hey, feel "free" to contact me anytime.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Grrrr! Tony the Tiger exploits children, parents and the entire grass-roots community movement

Normally I'm all for rebranding efforts, especially if say, your brand happens to be especially unhealthful, loaded with sugar and empty calories. But when I saw Kellogg's latest Frosted Flakes advertising campaign, complete with a Super Bowl ad, beautifully-designed website, theme song and a mission statement-- I thought: wow, the Kellogg's ad execs (or Leo Burnett) are either really onto something or this is one of the most egregious advertising campaigns I've seen in years. Are we really supposed to buy into the "Plant a seed. Nurture it. Help it Grow" concept from Tony The Junk Food Tiger?

Check out the campaign mission statement:
"Kellogg's Frosted Flakes believes that every kid should have a place to be active and play hard so they can be their very best. But as communities everywhere face difficult financial decisions, many are finding themselves without the funds they need to maintain their local playing fields. This is why we are committed to rebuilding athletic fields across America. On the right field, it's amazing what you can grow.
Here's the fine print listed in the Official Rules: 30 grand prizes will be awarded to local playfields in need of makeovers. Each amount will not exceed $15,000. Not including the cost of the website, publicity or the Super Bowl ad spot, which I'm sure was substantial-- Kellogg's contribution to this worthy cause will not exceed $450,000. This amount is essentially a drop in the pan for Kellogg's-- money that could have been spent on a campaign that is more in line with Frosted Flakes branding, personality and core values.

My final verdict? It' not a bad campaign. In fact, it's a very, very good campaign that just happens to be paired with the wrong brand. If a sporting brand were to embark on the same mission, it would be a perfect fit. Cause-related marketing is one of the best ways to engage your audience and do something good and Kellogg's simply missed the mark. Big time. If I were Kellogg's next time I'd choose something that makes them look less like a bunch of Frosted Fakes and more like a grrrreat cereal brand that understands the nuances of its target audience.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Get 'em while they last! Ty exploits Obama girls with plush dolls

It's hard for any parent to shield their children from overzealous and exploitative marketing ploys and gimmicks. But pity Michelle Obama, who - less than a week into settling into the White House -- had to respond to the newly released 'Marvelous Malia' and 'Sweet Sasha' dolls created by Ty, the same Oakbrook, IL- based toy company that makes Beanie Babies.

These are tough economic times and the Beanie Baby craze is long since over - but still - is this really necessary? Couldn't have Ty's marketing and licensing executives just picked up the phone? "Hey Michelle, we realize that you're a busy woman and your daughters are already in the spotlight more than you'd like them to be, but would it be all right with you if we exploited their new-found fame with a series of products in their likeness? We'll start with the dolls, move onto a book series, and then maybe a theme park ride..."

Okay, better to ask forgiveness than permission. The dolls are kind of cute and I'm sure sales will be strong, especially since they're getting all this free publicity over the controversy.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Not so fast: new teen research indicates well, more of the same

Today, MarketingVOX summarized the recently released Simmons Teen Study and found that teens are spending money on the same type of products that they did in the 1990s: music, clothes, video games and electronics. Couldn't this also ring true for say, the 1980s and 1970s as well? (okay, maybe not the video game part and certainly not mobile or online communications) but my point is this: for all of the talk about how kids and teens are "growing up faster than ever before" and the "world is such a different place"-- when you look at the research, their lives aren't all that different. Music. Clothes. Games. Communication. Pretty simple, really.

Marketers trying to reach kids and teens should most certainly stay relevant, get up to speed on the latest technologies and understand how trends in consumer behavior will impact their brands. Just don't go reinventing the wheel.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Kids Online Safety Resources

This past Friday a group of kids industry experts got together for a monthly conference call. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend, but I did think that the follow up lists of internet safety resources was really worth sharing. Here goes:

From Melissa at kids online playground Dizzywood.com:

NetSmartz - http://www.netsmartz.org/index.aspx - offers Internet safety videos, presentations, activity cards and lesson plans, including cyberbullying "real-life stories"

Adina's Deck - http://www.adinasdeck.com/ - videos and worksheets on cyberbullying; you can also book an assembly with the cast and crew

iSafe - http://www.isafe.org/ - training curriculum on Internet safety, including cyberbullying; also offers iMentor program for students to educate their peers on the topic

Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use (CSRIU) - http://www.cyberbully.org/ - tips for parents and educators, including worksheets for students

Cyberbullying.us - http://www.cyberbullying.us/resources.php - primarily research on cyberbullying; also includes some activities to engage youth in discussions about the topic

Digizen - http://www.digizen.org/ - UK-based organization offering classroom resources, including a cyberbullying film, teacher's guide and lesson plan

From Amy at Shaping Youth:

I'd add the Ad Council/Nat'l Crime Prevention PSAs which are good teaching tools on cyberbullying prevention and imposter profiling: http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=42
From a 16-yr. old boy's firstperson experience: this fellow in Australia had much to say: http://thewoodverdict.blogspot.com/2008/04/tom-woods-complete-guide-to-stopping.html

And on the Megan Meier/Lori Drew MySpace mom indictment: Andy Carvin (pbs teachers) wrote a good post bringing up 'terms of service' issues here: http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2008/05/indictments_handed_down_in_the.html

Finally, here are a few of my own "link-laden" posts to cyberbullying resources/prevention/info, including the Harris Interactive poll/pdf, stats, to add to Melissa's starter list! http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=423 and http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=395

p.s. Of course, for real-time forums/w/pragmatic peeks at kids' foibles: Anne Collier's ConnectSafely is always insightful/pragmatic (but she's on this list so that's a given) and her NetFamily News is a must read...For tween books/fiction novels on the subject (informal experiential learning akin to Adina's Deck) here's a recent book out too: http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Truman-School/dp/0807580953/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206203777&sr=8-1

From Dave at G2 Strategic Services:

The following link contains very relevant content for parents.
http://look-both-ways.com/stayingsafe/protectingkids.htm

We also just launched a new community site that she/he can join.
http://www.ilookbothways.com/

Feel free to share any more links you may have.