Keywords

ENGAGING

The re-branded Highlights would strive to engage children and their families in a more physical way by providing brick and morter play spaces. In addition to a more physically engaging presence, the brand would aim to re-orient the content in the print material in order to interact more with nature and the local geographic areas.

“We are creating those deeply engaging and fun, enriching experiences...”

-Kerstin Reinhart, Highlights Digital Director

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 3 / THE BRAND GRID + NARRATIVE EXPANSION

KEYWORDS

EDUCATIONAL

Most—if not all—parents would prefer that their children are learning by experience versus mindlessly sitting in front of a screen. There would be an educational message in the majority of the experiences developed by the brand.

“We think of ourselves as creating educational experiences that address the whole child.”

-Kent S. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer

CREATIVE

Children innately want to create and the Highlights brand encourages that by providing conventional and expoloratory ways to inspire.

In the Spring of 2020, Highlights@Home launched a digital initiative entitled “Get Creative” to inspire children stuck at home all summer during the Summer of Covid with new ideas to “get creative.”

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 2 / RESEARCH & STRATEGY

AUDIENCE PROFILES PERSONAS

The target demographic for the existing Highlights brand is children, age birth to 12. The iconic Highlights Magazine targets more specifically children age 6-12. The re-brand will target the same audience in terms of age, and similar ethnographic attributes, but the differentiating factor will be that the “new” generation of Highlights customers will be more discerning than the latter...or, at least their parents (the people that will be purchasing the products) will be. The existing magazine does not have a refined “voice”, or “feel” and gets lost in the sea of other childrens’ options. The “new” brand will have a specific feel that is more on-trend, hip, and fresh.

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 3 / THE BRAND GRID + NARRATIVE EXPANSION

Age: 5 | Location: Solomons Island, MD Occupation: First grader at a private school Likes: Playing ukulele, building things out of cardboard

JACK WILKINS Precocious Boy

Engaging

Educational

Creative 1: He is an only child and is often looking for things to do. Usually, he ends up finding something to take apart because that is what he enjoys most. 2: He would do well with more exposure to kids his age outside of the school environment because he needs more diversified friendships. 3: He lives somewhat rural, so there aren’t many formal type of “play places” and museums like you would find in a city because the population density is too low to warrant those types of places. 4: Jack has a bit of anxiety from all the structured play that his helicopter mom enrolls him in and would rather just play because he gets overwhelmed with all the scheduled activities.

5: Jack completes age-level school tasks with ease because his parents have taught him well. 6: Jack would do really well, both creatively and socially in supplemental art classes because he needs more instruction in that area.

7: He attends a small private school which has a mediocre art program, so Jack’s parents augment the arts at home because they want him to be a well-rounded person. 20

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 2 / RESEARCH & STRATEGY

Age: 32 | Location: Golden, CO Occupation: Stay at home mom; also sells homemade soap Likes: Hiking, rhythm dancing, hunting for morels

SHILOH GREEN Granola Mom

Engaging 1: There are a few great local homeschool groups in her area and they frequently meet at parks and events to share information and allow their children social exposure. 2: Shiloh eschews all of the consumerist plastic toys found in stores because it is environmentally unsustainable and would rather just play with natural materials. 3: Shiloh grew up homeschooled by her mother because her mother wanted her to have a better education than what public school could give her. 4: She wants to give the same type of education for her 3-½ year old daughter

Juniper, because she feels the public school system is grossly overburdened and that her daughter would receive a better education at home. 5: Shiloh is not really sure how to go about putting together a homeschool plan, but has a few years to research it since Juniper will not be ready for school for a few years. 6: She appreciates the Montessori method because she feels it is a more holistic and intuitive way of teaching and learning, but cannot afford a private school tuition. 7: She prefers books to minimize her family’s screen time because too much screen time is not healthy for little ones.

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 3 / THE BRAND GRID + NARRATIVE EXPANSION

Age: 7 | Location: Encinitas, CA Occupation: First grade, and follows his dad around Likes: The beach, grapes but only green ones

JAYDEN HILL Free Spirit

Engaging

Educational

Creative 1: Jayden spends a lot of time alone. He likes the other kids in school/daycare, but he prefers to read or color by himself because he would rather read than socialize. 2: Jayden waits around in daycare, usually till after dinner for his single dad to get off his shift work because his mom passed away. 3: His daycare ladies call him “Lil Drake” because he is quiet and charming. 4: His dad has dredlocks and so Jayden wants to look like dad. He is ok looking a little different than the other kids because he is self-assured.

5: When he grows up, he wants to be a surfer or a sculptor because he idolizes the older boys that he sees in that lifestyle. 6: Jayden consistently tests above average in school. but he’s getting lost in the public school system. His father is always looking for material to challenge him because the school’s gifted and talented program is lacking. 7: His dad cannot afford luxuries for Jayden such as art supplies because he has a minimum wage job.

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 2 / RESEARCH & STRATEGY

Age: 58 | Location: Houston, TX Occupation: Retired high school teacher/principal Likes: Taking walks, her cat Grumpy

TINA ENGLAND Retired Granny

Engaging 1: Tina has six grandkids, which are the highlight of her life because her kids are grown and now she enjoys being a grandma more than anything. 2: She can work a cellphone, but doesn’t “get into” all the games and social media because she feels they’re a waste of time. 3: She does not watch t.v.—she doesn’t even own one because she feels there is nothing worth watching on t.v. anymore. 4: Tina likes to be social and connect with other grannies because there isn’t really a place for her to interact with women her own age outside of church. 5: Tina grew up in the country outside of DC., then moved into the city to take a teaching job because she wanted a higher paying job. 6: She watches her grandkids a lot, and is always looking for ways to keep them entertained because she enjoys exposing them to art and education. 7: Baking is one of her favorite things to do, particularly with her oldest 10-year old granddaughter, Lucy. They bond together in the kitchen.

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 3 / THE BRAND GRID + NARRATIVE EXPANSION

Age: 10 | Location: Ithaca, NY Occupation: Public school student, fifth grade Likes: Reading, programming computers, singing by herself

LILY CHEN Smart Introvert

Engaging

Educational

Creative 1: With no siblings and parents who work long hours, Lily has a lot of down time to fill, which she usually fills with reading books after her homework is finished because reading is her favorite activity. 2: Lily is an only child to two professors, who both work as physics professors at

Cornell University. They only had one child to concentrate on raising her. 3: Lily would like to make more friends but she is too shy because she has not had a lot of exposure to other kids outside of school. 4: She enjoys puzzles, riddles, and brain teasers immensely because they’re fun. 5: Lily excels in school, even the advanced programs, so her parents are looking for ways to augment her studies because they believe she craves the additional challenge. 6: Her bookbag is full of books, journals, and magazines because reading is her favorite activity. 7: She loves being creative, but isn’t really sure how to go about it without instruction.

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 2 / RESEARCH & STRATEGY

Age: 36 | Location: Annapolis, MD Occupation: Part-time nurse, full-time mom Likes: Spin/cycling, red wine, hanging out with mom friends

THERESA PERRY Helicopter Mom

Engaging 1: She loves working with mothers and babies because she loves the feeling of female togetherness. 2: She does not want to expose Liam to screen time till he is at least well into his toddler years because the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends delaying screen time till then.

3: The many options for educational material are overwhelming and reviews are confusing and varied because there aren’t many streamlined, consolidated, and trustworthy brands in this genre. 4: She considers herself “hip” and does not generally like most of what is on the market for kids because it is dated.

5: Theresa can afford to buy more elevated children’s material because her husband is a

Captain at the Naval Academy. 6: Theresa is a new mom and is looking for ways to stimulate her son Liam’s brain and creativity, but doesn’t know where to begin because she is new at this. 7: She appreciates good design in a world of bad design because she feels comfort being surrounded by “things that make sense of the world” rather than clutter it.

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 3 / THE BRAND GRID + NARRATIVE EXPANSION

Age: 26 | Location: Grand Forks, ND Occupation: Hiking guide Likes: The outdoors, Ted Talks, his dog

ALEX SINGH Thrill Seeker

Engaging

Educational

Creative 1: Alex has two boys, age six and eight, who he loves to take camping in the mountains because he wants to impart his love of nature to them. 2: His favorite break from fatherhood is sneaking out to get coffee because he can chit chat with other cool people and relax. 3: Alex supports companies that are socially and environmentally responsible because he believes in voting with his credit card and wants to be a part of the solution. 4: He teaches his sons about nature, often pointing out animals and different types of plants because he wants his boys to be educated in “real life”. 5: Alex is selective about what material he buys for his sons and looks for content that is educational and well put together because there is a lot of

“bad” material on the market.

6: There is a lot of down time when Alex has his boys on a trip, so he brings art activity books for them to do at night to keep them entertained. 7: He prefers clothing and shoe brands that are designed smartly because it’s environmentally conscious and good clothes and shoes just fit better.

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 2 / RESEARCH & STRATEGY

Age: 16 | Location: Seattle, WA Occupation: Tenth grader Likes: Acrylic pouring, skateboarding, concerts

MILA LOPEZ Cool Teen [Outlier]

Engaging 1: She is a well-rounded teen that grew up with supportive parents that allow her to express herself because they believe in allowing a butterfly to spread it’s wings. 2: Mila is totally self-sufficient and no longer needs her parents to help her with her homework because she is a young independent woman now. 3: She loves her cell phone, but still buys print magazines because there is nothing quite like holding a paper magazine and flipping through it. 4: Her favorite magazines are Seventeen and National Geographic, but she still loves to do Mad-Libs because she enjoys puzzles and riddles. 5: Mila won the student art contest last year for an acrylic pouring piece because she worked hard until she mastered it.

6: She is involved with her friends and art pursuits when she is not doing schoolwork because those are her favorite activities.

7: Her parents sent her to a prestigious summer immersion art camp at the MET in New York City last year in order to expose her to more cultural opportunities.

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 3 / THE BRAND GRID + NARRATIVE EXPANSION

Age: 41 | Location: Rehobeth, DE Occupation: Software Engineer Likes: Family dinners, opera, running

IAN LEE (LEFT) Traveling Dad [Outlier]

Engaging

Educational

Creative 1: Ian’s husband is always looking for ways for Ian to bond with the boys, and schedules one on one events for them.

2: Ian would like to network with other gay dads to form a group of friends with similar experiences because he would like to be part of a support group of likeminded professionals. 3: He is married to Brian, and they have two sons via surrogate, Henry (age 4), and

Luca (age 6) because they both have always wanted a family. 4: Ian travels a lot, so depends heavily on Brian to handle the majority of the childrearing duties because he doesn’t have the time to focus on both well. 5: He generally supports the schooling decisions that Brian makes, but would like to be consulted because he wants his input in his sons education incorporated. 6: His favorite activity to do with the boys is read to them because he believes that reading daily to children heavily influences their intellect. 7: Ian likes to do creative things with the boys, but only if it’s not too messy and well contained, because he is a bit of neat freak.

MEL GALLIPEAU / GR604-FALL 2020 MODULE 2 / RESEARCH & STRATEGY