Guilt-Free Kids TV

Finally, a report on children's media that doesn’t make parents feel bad! Released this week in the UK as part of the Hello Campaign, an initiative focused on making communication a priority in homes and in schools, a quarter of parents who have young children admit using the television as a babysitter. And 70% percent of them do not feel guilty about it.

Surprising? Not really. Amazing? A little. Even though the American Academy of Pediatrics has long advocated or reduced screen time, setting guidelines that children watch no more than 2 hours of television per day, the data demonstrates that kids are watching much, much more than that. Which, we all know by now, can lead to problems. As recently as April of this year, a study came out linking kids TV to heart disease.

Feeling guilty yet? Don't. The reason why parents in the UK feel good about their children’s TV watching is because there are so many wonderful, educational shows. 42% of respondents said that quality children's television is a great way for kids to learn. It's all about context.

Take Babycenter's posts Why you should never feel guilty about kids watching TV and Watch that TV, guilt-free! CommonSense Media's Best TV for Kids provides even more reasons to enjoy a little screen time.

I also like what Dimitri A. Christakis and Frederick J. Zimmerman, authors of "The Elephant in the Living Room: Make Television Work for Your Kids, have to say: "At its best, TV can educate and inspire. High-quality documentaries offer insights into history that no book can equal. Children's educational shows have the proven ability to help children learn to read to be kind, and to share. In short, when used appropriately, television has the power to expand horizons and help children's cognitive, social and emotional development."

Spokeswoman for the Hello campaign, Wendy Lee, also points out how parents can get more involved and use television as a launching point for communications in the home. "TV can be used as a fantastic opportunity to bring children's favourite characters and shows to life beyond the box as well... chatting about characters, making up stories and even acting out adventures can help parents develop their child's language and communication," she said.

In short, children's TV doesn't need to hide in the closet as a guilty, forbidden pleasure. And we as parents can actually admit to feeling good about it. Companies like my clients Ameba TV (http://amebatv.com) and The Mother Company (http://themotherco.com) are redefining screen time by offering high-quality, educational, slow-paced, commercial-free shows for kids - and that's something both parents and kids can feel pretty great about.

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.

So much attention about moi! The Muppets get the Hannnah Montana treatment

Miss Miss Piggy? I sure do. But guess what-- The New York Times reported yesterday (Fuzzy Renaissance, September 21, 2008) that not only is Miss Piggy coming out of cold storage, she and the rest of her Muppet Pals are getting the "Hanna Montana treatment, being blasted into every pop-culture nook and cranny that the company owns or can dream up."

For starters there are the specials on Disney Channel in which Muppets interact with High School Musical and Jonas Brothers stars. Then there are the viral videos on YouTube and the NBC Christmas special. And don't miss the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Muppets float or "Nightline" political interviews. And of course there's plenty of merchandise: Muppet clothing at Urban Outfitters and Limited Too stores; Muppet-theme stuffed animals and tote bags at Macy’s; and a Muppet boutique at the New York flagship of F. A. O. Schwarz.

"We think there is a Muppet gene in everybody,” Lylle Breier, a Disney executive who is the new general manager of Muppets Studio told the Times. Still, she has a few challenges. Ms. Breier also said that recent focus groups indicated that some children could not even identify Kermit and Miss Piggy, much less ancillary characters like Fozzie Bear and Gonzo the Great.

It's really too bad. Since Jim Henson's death in 1990, his children have taken over the reigns to the family business but the Muppet characters have stagnated under changing ownership. Disney aquired the "Classic Muppets" in 2004; Children's Television Workshop owns the "Sesame Street" Muppets.

The article reports that while "Disney estimated three years ago that the Muppets would be generating about $300 million a year in merchandising sales by now, retail analysts say the total for 2008 will be closer to $50 million."

Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios (and Ms. Breier’s boss) told the Times: “Developing the kind of high-quality entertainment we have planned for the global relaunch of the Muppets takes time,” he said. “We want to be very, very careful that whatever we do is in the spirit of the Muppets and that we are enhancing the brand."

I couldn't agree more. While it certainly appears that Disney will leveraging every ounce of marketing muscle to bring the Muppets back to center stage, what isn't so clear is how they'll keep the Muppet magic intact in doing so. Time will tell. Kermit and Miss Piggy were originally created to entertain adults with clever and irreverant humor; Disney's strategy appears to be one where they simultaneously attract nostalgic older generations as well as the 6-12 year-old tween market. I wonder what Jim Henson would think about all of this. Or, more appropriately, what would Miss Piggy do?

Nick Jr jumps the shark

I'm sorry to report that Nick Jr has officially jumped the shark. Dora and Diego are about to embark on a new adventure: Media Life reports that Nick Jr cartoons are being adapted for the big screen. Feature length films? More action? More in-depth story lines? Sorry... it appears that the films will be "reformatted TV cartoons, " including “Dora,” “Diego, ” “The Backyardigans” and “The Wonder Pets,” as large-screen projection movies along with sing-along videos and other little extras. " The 10am shows in 12 states will include roughly 50 minutes of entertainment and the cost will be a bit more than a matinee. Now, I realize that not everyone has cable and that Nickelodeon might be trying to make a bit of money back after they decided to stop licensing their characters to junk food companies last year, but this strategy seems like it misses the mark. Mothers who already have cable will not want to pay to watch more TV in a movie theater. And those that don't have cable generally do so for a good reason (either cost or out of principle). Nick Jr has some really great properties so it's surprising to see them go this route. Perhaps they should um, explore some other opportunities.