The Hindu Business Line : ‘Marketers need to target kids even in high-end products’

Kids, from just being influencers, have now become ‘active consultants’ and ‘information providers’ to parents on most purchase decisions of households, says Group M’s South Asia COO, Mr Vikram Sakhuja.

Parents, too, clearly seem to endorse this line of thinking by recognising the role of kids as consultants in the buying decision process. They also take kids along for shopping of high-end products. So, it is increasingly important for marketers to target kids, he says.

Mr Antoine Villeneuve, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director, Walt Disney Television International (India), attributes the change to the conventional and new-age media consumption habits of kids and increasing comfort levels of kids with modern technology.

“In recent times, there is a change in scenario where kids, being heavy media consumers, are more exposed to global media that makes them savvier and definitely better informed,” says Mr Villeneuve.

Survey findings

Walt Disney Co (India) along with GroupM, a leading media investment management company, initiated a survey, Disney’s KidSense 2007, to explore the kids’ world and their likes and dislikes. The survey was conducted and collated by research firm IMRB International.

According to Disney’s KidSense, 63 per cent of kids are involved in a spectrum of product categories from clothes and bicycles to computers and cars. Kids’ involvement in high-end product categories is also significant. For example, mobile phones get 76 per cent involvement and cars 43 per cent.

Forty five per cent of parents surveyed say that their children do research and express opinions about product categories. Thirty seven per cent of kids actively discuss advertisements with their parents.

According to the survey, television is the top media choice for kids with 93 per cent of them turning to TV for their information needs. With 55 per cent, newspaper is the next best source to reach out to kids. Radio is gaining ground with 45 per cent of kids tuning to it.

Which type of ads click with kids? Ads with cartoon characters enjoy the highest appeal among kids, followed by ads featuring film stars and good music.

The kids in the age group of 12-14 are very brand conscious. Across product categories, brands emerge as the strongest connect point with kids. Metro kids (75 per cent) emerge as more brand savvy compared with kids from tier-I towns (68 per cent). In general, aesthetically pleasing features such as colour, looks, and style appeal attract most kids, reveals Disney’s KidSense 2007.

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