Winning the Kid Seal of Approval
Some tips on how to market kids' candy in a 'way cool'
rather than 'way off' fashion.
BY RENEE MARISA COVINO
Kids put their money where their mouth is —
that's their ultimate stamp of approval — and very often their
mouth and money vote for novelty/interactive candy. But the money they
spend is often even more telling than that of adults. Kids are extremely
thoughtful in how they spend the precious dollars they have.
"Marketers often talk about how candy is an impulse purchase.
Well, maybe for adults it is, but for kids, it's anything but impulse," says
Jennifer Goodman, managing director for The Geppetto Group, based in New York
City. "With kids, so much goes on in their heads about their candy choice —
long before they get to the store. In some cases, they're negotiating with mom
for the purchase, so they're ready."
But make no mistake about it — kids do have
their own money to spend. Especially the much coveted "tween"
market — defined as kids who are in between being little kids and
being teenagers (typically between eight and 12 years of age). Some of the
latest industry figures show that kids under 14 personally spend about $100
billion annually — of which about 10 percent goes to consumables like
candy. Others say that tweens alone account for more than twice that.
One of the most important reasons for marketers to
study and target tweens (currently at more than 20 billion strong —
nearly two-thirds the size of the African American or Hispanic market
segments in the United States) is that "it is at this stage in their
lives when branding begins to take effect," according to David
Siegel, co-author of "The Great Tween Buying Machine: Capturing Your
Share of the Multi-Billion Dollar Tween Market." According to the
book, the four key motivating drivers for tweens are fun, freedom, power
and belonging — often found in the uniquely interactive, sometimes
gross, aspects of novelty candy.
Keeping a low price point is extremely critical for
candy targeted to these kids. "After all, the 'big
spenders' we are talking about in novelty candy are still mostly
pre-teens," says Foreman Lam, president of Kidsmania Inc. He adds
that kids will fork out the money for such fun products "as long as
it is around a dollar or so."
Keeping it kid-friendly
But once the fun and price is set, that's where
marketers can really lose kids. They assume that with these two aspects in
place, the sale will be easy. What they often overlook is whether or not
the kids really know a product is for them. And that's where
retailers need to come in — by delivering kid-friendly environments.
Since its inception in 2002, Wal-Mart's Kid
Connection has often been highlighted as the best example of kid-friendly
in the mass market. The concept, featured in more than 60 supercenters and
growing, is colorful and exciting and goes beyond a typical
retailer's candy offerings, with a big emphasis on novelty candy.
The retail behemoth got especially high marks when it
moved this unique candy section away from a bin program and more towards a
brand-conscious shelving system. "It used to look like a wall of
generic candy," says Armand Hammer, president of Innovative Candy
Concepts. "Now the shelf system holds all of the manufacturer
displays, thus creating an environment that speaks excitement and fun.
It's light years better because kids are so
brand-oriented."
But you don't have to be Wal-Mart to have a
kid-friendly candy section. Innovative Candy Concepts has created its own
candy display that many retailers are using as the focal point of a more
exciting kid section. The Innovative set (which it refers to as a
"starter kit") is 20 inches and holds six of its best-selling
novelty candy products — with a total of 132 pieces. It clips right
onto a bar of the candy rack and features a channel strip with photos of
kids on it, as well as a big bright sign that hangs over the section that
says: "Cool Kids Candy," with an arrow pointing down to the
section.
"It puts a lot of product in a small space
— it's very efficient for a store to highlight it in this
way," maintains Hammer. One gas/convenience store in Clifton Heights,
Pa., can certainly verify that. According to a spokesperson for Westbrook
Getty, the store sold out its entire Innovative starter kit in one week.
"That's eight times faster than what we would classify as
average turnover," maintains Hammer. What's more — the
store sold out of a second starter kit almost as quickly.
at the top of toyland |
| These are the top 10 toys for 2003, according to Yahoo! and
Yahooligans! based on votes Yahoo! received from its kid users. 1. X-Box |
The lesson for other retailers: Don't
underestimate the power of an effective section for kids. "When kids
spend their own money, they know what they want and they communicate with
each other on a level I've not seen with adults," says Hammer.
"I have seen our products wipe out of a store as if locusts were
coming because a kid went to school with the product and showed it off to
others on lunch hour and told them where they could buy it. They have their
own incredible networking ability, and they use it."
For those who want to make a candy section even more
kid- friendly in the future— how about really empowering kids —
with a special way to pay for the candy? "Candy credit cards for kids
would be a great idea," dreams up Dave Jupp, director of packaging
and design for Imaginings 3 - Flix Candy, based in Niles, Ill.
"Parents could buy them as allowance money or as a reward for a job
well done. I see them as limited to a specific area of the store —
such as toys and candy only. Psychologically, it would be a great way to
allow kids to do their own shopping, while parents shop in
'their' sections of the store."
Reel them in
Beyond the point of purchase, manufacturers (and
retailers) need to catch kids where they live, so to speak. Movie theaters
are a perfect place to capture the attention of kids with product or even
retail messages, according to Fred Paprin, principal and co-founder of The
Wildflower Group, based in New York City. "Ads that take place before
the airing of previews are very valuable real estate, particularly for a
tween boy or girl," he says. "These kids love getting to the
theater early — it's a place where they can be hip and cool and
away from their parents. They can really 'find' themselves
here, once they get away from a world that's highly stressed out,
with their parents all over them. The movie theater becomes a sanctuary for
their little world."
| movies that will move them |
| (The 2004 Spring/Early Summer
Movie Release Schedule for Kids)
March 12, 2004 - “Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London”
(MGM) |
Marketers shouldn't feel like the message has to
tie into a movie to be effective here, according to Paprin. "You just
have to be inventive enough — like with some promotion involving
video games or premium giveaways," he says. "Study the target,
know what moves them, and you'll move the merchandise."
When "talking" to kids, whether in an ad
or on a shelf, it is imperative that kid marketers avoid any "baby
talk," because kids always see themselves as older than they are.
"This is true all the way up until college," says Stan
Madaloni, CEO of Mada Design, based in New York City. "All kids see
themselves as being in the next age group up from where they are, and no
one wants to be the baby. They don't gravitate to words like
'cute.' They want to hear about products and displays that put
them in control. Empowering children is so much more successful than trying
to talk down to them."
The media is a big reason why kids are so savvy.
According to Goodman, kids have adopted a habit of "media
multi-tasking," which means they have access to more knowledge and
power. "Kids have so much going on in their lives today,
they're able to focus on more than one thing at a time," says
Goodman. "They're watching TV, surfing the web, reading a book,
listening to music — they're interacting with media very
holistically."
Topps Confections is one company that understands this
kind of interactive mindset. "Kids want to see hot characters
interacting with brands," says Ari Weinstock, senior brand manager.
"For example, Cartoon Network, one of the hottest entertainment
mediums for kids, will feature spots with Ed, Edd, & Eddy and Dexter
from Dexter's Lab interacting with Juicy Drop Pop in wild and fun
ways."
| According to "The Great Tween Buying Machine: Capturing Your Share of the Multi-Billion-Dollar Tween Market" (Dearborn Trade Publishing, May 2004), most tweens (ages 8-12) report earning money from household chores, birthdays, and holidays. In addition, the majority of tweens (56 percent) receive at least some form of allowance from their parents. Older tweens (ages 10 and up) are earning additional funds from activities like babysitting, mowing the lawn, and shoveling snow. Small percentages even report having an after-school job. | ||
How Much Money Do
You Spend Weekly? |
||
| Dollar Amount | 8-to-9 year-olds |
10-to-12 year-olds |
| Less than $5 | 78% |
61% |
| More than $5 | 24% |
39% |
| Source: WonderGroup/KidzEyes 2003 Study | ||
Topps also believes in a lot of online promotions.
This year, it is sponsoring a contest with Nick.com (Nickelodeon) to name
the Push Pops spokes-kangaroo. "We are also working with the hugely
popular Neopets.com to offer Baby Bottle Pops to feed the Neopets
themselves, launching in the spring," adds Weinstock.
Lights! Candy! Interaction!
Kids are noticing a bright new light coming off the
novelty candy category. Illumination technology has literally lit up a
number of products in the section.
"Kids love products that engage the
interactivity of more than one of their senses," says Jeffri Epps,
strategic marketing director for The Haystack Group, a marketing and
research company based in Atlanta and known for its work in kids'
categories.
What's especially cool about illumination is the
fact that "it's instant gratification for kids," says
Rick Johnson, president and CEO of LitePop LLC, San Diego.
"It's faster than taste — it's at the speed of
light, and you really can't beat that." Another point Johnson
emphasizes — "the technology can be incorporated into a lot of
hand-sized novelties that kids have always loved — it's very
transportable."
Recent advances in LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes)
initiated in areas such as new stoplights, stadium lights, and automobile
taillights, were the precursor for the candy trend coming to light.
"The reason illuminated novelties are getting bigger is the cost of
illumination has gone down with increased manufacturer competition,"
explains Johnson. "This is all about the increased brightness of LEDs
and the more consistent microchip manufacturing taking place worldwide.
When I first invented the LitePop five or six years ago, it retailed for
$30; now they're selling for $1.99-$2.99."
LitePop is one of a number of illuminated candies
targeted to kids. It combines "great-tasting candy" with a
glowing tube that not only brightly illuminates the candy, but also lights
up the head and mouth of the consumer in a dramatic fashion — that is
first and foremost safe. LitePop has received a U.S. patent for lighted
confection technology. Johnson's patented design keeps the light
transmission element away from the candy and, therefore, the mouth. LitePop
has also received FDA approval.
"There is no question that this product is
completely safe because the light transmission element is not connected to
the candy," explains Johnson. "The pop's stick is a
plastic tube containing a reflective inner coating, and a custom-designed
LED, activated by a switch on the base of the pop's handle. There is
no lighting element that comes in contact with the candy."
Lite-Pop Candy can stay lit six to eight hours
continuously. The lollipop, which consists of a bright light, glowing
message tube and candy topping, comes in a variety of flavors.
Malibu Toys, a frontrunner in the light-up novelties
trend, is also focused on safety. "There are safety concerns with
light-up products, just as there are when any electronics are used in
toy/kid products," says Kami Gillmour-Bryant, principal of the
Malibu, Calif.-based company. "We go to great lengths to make sure
our products follow all FDA guidelines and pass rigorous safety tests
before they are released to the public. Guaranteeing consumer safety is a
necessity here."
Flashin' Lix, Malibu's premiere
illuminated candy line, is made up of light-up lollipops in both generic
and licensed shapes that now come in jelly and hard candy formats. Because
of the "immediate retail success" of the line, the company
recently introduced Finger Lites, light-up candy rings.
Malibu Toys ventured into the candy market after it
experienced great success in its Cosmic Giggles brand of light-up jewelry
and fashion accessories.
Kidsmania's latest candy success story is also
one of illumination — the Flash Pop. It is doing so well, "we
are introducing the Blink Pop in the May/June timeframe, a natural
expansion to Flash Pop," announces Foreman Lam, president of
Kidsmania Inc., based in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. "The major
difference between the newer Blink Pop and the Flash Pop is the newer item
can be turned on to stay blinking while the candy pop is being enjoyed. The
Blink Pop is also designed to allow the users to create their blinking
ice-pop after the candy-pop is consumed."
In order to keep its toy-candy products safe for kids,
Kidsmania reports it avoids "small plastic parts that can come
loose."
With safety in check, the popularity of illumination
and novelty candy is predicted to grow even brighter. "We
haven't seen the limits of this and other technology combined with
candy, in fact, we continue to push those limits," says Epps.
Key Kid Licenses for 2004 |
|
MOVIES “Spiderman 2” “Shrek 2” NEW TV SHOWS |
|
UP-AND-COMING PROPERTIES “Neopets” “Astro Boy” “Olivia” “Baby Einstein” HOT CLASSICS FOOD AND CANDY |
