Company Profile
KidsKnowBest
The kids are alright
The data-led creative media agency KidsKnowBest enters 2021 off the back of strong growth, leaving it poised for further expansion into major new territories that Joel Silverman, co-founder and CEO, and Rob Lough, co-founder and chief brand officer, say will place the agency right at the heart of the kids’ digital space. Toy World finds out more. for the kids’ sector, and providing solutions for underserved areas. Research underpinned by Youth Trend Spotting (YTS), an intelligence arm of KidsKnowBest, has shown the agency’s co-founders exactly where kids are - on-demand streaming services and social media platforms – and that data is used to help companies move their messaging into these spaces in a way that resonates with the target audience.
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idsKnowBest is focused on giving kids a voice. The idea for the agency was partly borne from an eye-opening cinema experience; Rob and his two twin girls had gone to see an animated kids’ film which had been panned by critics. As a result, the cinema was empty - but Rob’s girls had absolutely loved the film. This begged the question: why were adults reviewing movies for six-year-olds? “When we started KidsKnowBest, we felt that kids weren’t able to express themselves in the public media,” Joel says. “There wasn’t a platform where kids could voice their opinions on things. While developing such a platform, we soon realised that while honesty is great, brands don’t necessarily want it in the public domain. Instead, the power of a child’s voice is best used to drive an understanding of kids’ products and content, helping brands redefine their offering or develop something totally new. We realised we could be a full-service advertising agency, and that we could use our GDPR-compliant research to leverage the online space by creating branded media content. And that is how KidsKnowBest came into being.” Neither Rob nor Joel has a background in media or data, but that hasn’t stopped the pair taking the agency from strength to strength by identifying and exploiting gaps in digital marketing strategies
“What kids now think of as TV, streaming YouTube or SVOD on a set for example, is not what us grownups would define it as at all,” says Rob. “But because platforms like YouTube don’t release viewing demographics for under-13s, we actually have to speak to kids – over 200 a month in the UK alone - to find out what they’re watching. We then quantify that data using tools including interactive polls, ready for use in developing creative. We’ve started expanding YTS globally, in the US as well as the G5/G6 regions. We know that a child in the UK may not behave the same way as a child elsewhere in the world, so we cross-reference that data with other regions. We’re working a lot more with partners in EMEA, to understand the points of difference in the likes of Spain, France, Benelux, Poland and so on.” The agency lives or dies by the quality of its firstparty data, which dictates where media is placed, ensuring research is grounded and trustworthy. While KidsKnowBest was born four years ago in the digital age, other agencies may still storyboard based on how a campaign looks in 16:9 as a 30 second TVC. However, with KidsKnowBest data showing that traditional TVCs lose out on social platforms, effective user engagement may mean opting for a six or 10 second advert instead. Rob adds: “We’re not locked down by those old-school ways of thinking like some others; we’ve moved way past the belief that a 30 second TVC is the only or best way of marketing something.” When it comes to the most important element of a marketing campaign, both Rob and Joel agree content is king. While so much else depends on the product itself, and whether you’re brand-building a new IP or looking for sell-though, content must be optimised for each platform it is to appear on. In the same way you wouldn’t put a billboard ad on TV, Rob says, you shouldn’t be putting a 30 second
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TVC on social media. He adds: “Social media platforms tend to get lumped under one umbrella, but they aren’t one and the same and shouldn’t be treated as such.” During the pandemic. the use of influencers, as well as family and friend content creators, made sense when production studios were temporarily closed, and resulting campaigns such as #UnoWhoYouAre, developed on behalf of Mattel, were hugely successful. Other recent partnerships include WowWee’s North American Baby Shark toy line launch, Wow! Stuff’s Wow! Pods, PJ Masks episodic content on behalf of Hasbro, and an influencer campaign for Trolls with Flair. The agency also did a global research study on SpongeBob Squarepants last year, to help Nickelodeon’s CP team understand youth perception of the property. KidsKnowBest saw some exceptional results in 2020 - +300% revenue growth and a team expansion from 10 to 35 – and off the back of this success, Joel is now exploring the opportunities on offer across the pond, with a view to making a move this year. When KidsKnowBest was founded, the goal was to make the agency the best, and this means being in the best territories. The US has been on the agency’s radar from early on, and conversations about who will be brought onboard in the region are proceeding apace. At the same time, Joel’s firm belief that the best creative comes out of the UK means the KidsKnowBest UK office will remain key to all future plans. Personal development is as important to KidsKnowBest as business development is. Joel is clearly proud to have experts embedded in every part of the agency, be that research, creative or distribution, and all are given their own voice to add to that of the kids being consulted. Paid internships help youngsters get a foot on the digital media ladder, and professional development is at the heart of daily working life. “You’re nothing without a great team,” says Joel. “We’ve got one of the best.” For further information on working with KidsKnowBest, including taking advantage of its Breakfast Briefings programme, contact the KidsKnowBest team: info@kidsknowbest.co.uk.
