Kids have big say in family purchases

Children are influencers in every category today, it seems.

New Delhi

Rohit, I am converting that comment of yours into a question. It must be one, if addressed to this column.

Kids are influencing categories that are directly related to them — such as toys and books and gadgets of the comfort-candy variety — and kids are influencing categories that relate to them but which were hitherto the domain of their parents — such as education, schools, colleges and more. What is even more interesting is the fact that kids are influencing categories which do not relate to them directly as well — such as the automotive sector, cosmetics used by Mom, the washing machine bought at home and Dad’s mobile handset, to boot.

Kids are influencing all these categories with a great degree of gusto as they are today seen to be the I-generation. It is all about the internet at one end and impatience at another. Impatience with heritage brands that tout more, and deliver less. Kids today are seen in families to be totally hands-on entities who can whip up a whole range of options to get into the buying consideration set. Talk to them of category and they will come up with brands, options, prices and the best deals. This time round, the role of kids in influencing purchases is not about the “pester power” of a few years ago. Instead, it is all about “informed and intelligent” buying, guided by information systems that somehow seem to be at their fingertips. The kid today is an important adjunct of the buying process. Marketers need to keep them in mind when they do everything to attract customers.

How does a marketer deal with customers differently in difficult times such as these?

Kottayam

Shinie, are these difficult times really? I thought these are the times marketers were waiting for forever.

In any case, marketers would do well to do the following at all times with ‘different strokes” as the mindset approach.

1. Get real in what you offer. Stop glamourising stuff. Get a little more real.

2. Make sure value propositions are dinned in through advertising. Reassure consumers that they are doing a good thing by choosing you.

3. Get transparent in advertisingBe the first to become transparent do it and set the trend for others to follow.

4. Orient communication to be peer-to-peer. Rely more on PR and do ensure that your brand is getting the right degree of editorial coverage it deserves. In tough times people trust the editorial pages more than the advertising islands.

How do Indian restaurant brands advertise? Are they not a bit too rustic? How do they compete?

New Delhi

Ruchir, ‘ desi ’ quick service restaurants (QSRs) do have a problem. The first big problem of the Indian restaurant brand is the fact that it was conceptualised as a stand-alone single restaurant, rather than a quick roll-out affair. The basic problem is, therefore, in the vision and intent itself. Western QSRs were conceptualised from scratch to be gargantuan brands with a roll-out efficacy that had, in its intent, the ability to be a behemoth brand with ubiquity at every street corner as its hallmark. And then comes the issue of brand positioning and all else. Indian restaurant chains have attempted to ramp up and spread, but have failed miserably. There is a great degree of conservative investment in the front-end of the business, but precious little belief in the back end and supply chain efficiency that a QSR typically relies upon. And then comes the issue of investment bravado. Most Indian restaurants are funded by personal funds, an angel investor or nothing else more. Most run on bank loans. Debt seems the mode, whereas most QSRs depend on equity as the mode.

Harish Bijoor is a brand strategy expert and CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. Mail your queries to cat.a.lyst@thehindu.co.in

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