Opinion - Generation Media

Follow the Yellow Brick Road… why content is the first step to franchise success.

Charlotte looks at the importance of compelling content to brands, and why it should be considered a crucial part of the brand identity.

It’s no secret that many of the largest kid’s franchises began as popular shows and then extended their offering with toys, games, and experiences. But now, even brands that began with a physical product are able to reach across many types of media to tell their stories and fulfil the consumer’s overwhelming appetite for content. In forming new marketing strategies, these brands ought to consider content as the first step to franchise success.

At Generation Entertainment our approach is entirely content led. We believe brands should be harnessing content to reach their goals, and we help them achieve this by developing and distributing their content in a variety of ways. Utilising key licensing touchpoints, we work to bring content front and centre through Broadcast Partnerships, Event Cinema showings, and via social channel management.

So why should content come first? It all comes down to the consumer. And if there’s one thing the consumer can’t get enough of, it’s content.

The craving for video content shows no signs of slowing down. Ofcom reports that children spent an average of three hours and 18 minutes watching a mixture of shows, videos and short clips in 2020. That’s 24 minutes up on the previous year. We should ask ourselves where the audience is as a starting point when forming editorial strategies. We know that video service platforms reign supreme among children, with YouTube coming out on top. Our sister research company Giraffe Insights has found that online viewing makes up a fifth of kids aged 2-9’s habits, with YouTube making up 72% of all online viewing. And we know that across the board for children, funny videos, jokes, pranks and challenges is their favourite type of content to watch on the platform.

We can’t talk about the dominance of YouTube without referencing the nursery rhyme titan that is CoComelon, currently sitting pretty at 118m subscribers. That didn’t happen overnight, and indeed it required the channel to pay close attention to what was resonating with its audience, looking at high performing content categories and video lengths. Or by utilising timely search terms linked to coronavirus to create viral hand-washing videos. The merchandising deal with Moonbug will no doubt see this success translated into toy sales - but this will always hinge on the power of their content. Founder Jay Jeon said of the deal, “Our goal is to create toys and other products that extend the positive CoComelon experience beyond the screen”. But crucially, he underscored the point that, “We’re so focused dayto-day on the quality of our content and ensuring it is enriching for our audience, it’s become a key part of the company’s DNA.”

Looking beyond YouTube, we can see the same rationale behind Netflix’s acquisition of pre-school content and partnership with Hasbro. The streaming platform knows the power is in the content and that by partnering with toy companies it can leverage engagement and translate it into consumer success, with properties like Mighty Express from SpinMaster being the perfect formula. In Cinema too, we see how content will keep an audience immersed and invested in characters – whilst offering a new element of connection, and a memorable experience. Take Paw Patrol for example. While of course it pulls in millions of TV views with a dedicated fandom, there’s no doubt that its recent summer release Paw Patrol: The Movie will massively boost its product sales this Christmas.

Content has to be interconnected to achieve the greatest impact. It shouldn’t exist in isolation, or as an afterthought, and it shouldn’t be relegated to one singular platform. It should be considered a crucial part of the brand identity. While we may not be able to magically click our heels to bring about sales – we do believe in the magic of storytelling and the power of human emotion.