MUMBAI: Kids animation content should be more inclusive to make a bigger impact, insisted a panel, speaking on “Creating an Impact for Kids Audience”, at the recently concluded KAM Summit by AnimationXpress.com. The panellists noted that content created for kids should not be ‘so kiddy’ that it doesn’t appeal to the people they are watching it with.
The panel aimed to highlight ground rules for creating marketing content targeted and kids and included Wavemaker managing partner Monaz Todywalla, Omnicom Media Group AVP-PhD media Asmita Reelkar, and GREY Group India head of strategy and national planning director Arun Raman. The session was moderated by Sony YAY! VP – marketing and OAP Sujoy RoyBardhan.
Reelkar mentioned that parents play a key role in monitoring the content that kids are watching and are also making most of the purchasing choices for them, so it is pertinent that a brand can persuade the parents too.
Citing some interesting examples, Raman said, “There are no massive kids’ brands in India. I can think of Gini & Jony, which is one of the largest brands in the space, but no one is buying from them. People buy from brands like H&M Kids and Zara Kids.”
He pointed out that there has been a behavioural and cultural shift in the Indian audience. “There are many kid-centric brands like ‘Naughty Boy’ from Bata, which are not as popular now. They now have something called ‘Ambassador Collection’. I am hearing Britannia and Parle are putting ‘Chota Bheem’ on their packages but it doesn’t mean that they are creating separate kids brands. In fact, it is making a brand meant for adults relevant to kids.”
The panellists also pointed out that kids today are smarter and know facts. They can read through if a brand is trying to lie to them and that’s why it is important for brands to maintain highest standards of advocacy while creating communications for them.
Another important point shared was that the brands should now be focussing on multi-screen advertising as the kids of today are digital natives.
Todywalla said, “More and more creators, marketers, and brand custodians are realising that it has become a multi-touch world. But brands are still relying mostly on TV to interact with kids. Maybe they do some sprinkling of digital or a few events. But the landscape is changing dramatically. Kids are probably bypassing the whole TV phase and going directly to digital. Brands are agencies are still grappling with that area.”
They unanimously agreed on the point that content is going to play a key role in taking brands through this phase of change.