Special Feature - KidsKnowBest

Navigating the shifting media landscape

Pete Robinson, strategic consultant, and Sian Rider, head of Brand & Marketing at KidsKnowBest, examine how franchise brands are adapting to fragmentation.

Pete:    I’ve been tracking kids' media habits for over 15 years. During that time, YouTube has grown from a place of discovering UGC to a media monolith, and social networks have moved from social messaging platforms to content streams. And all the time users dedicate to these channels has come at the expense of existing media, most notably in the visual content world - linear channels.

Netfiles, now in its fifth year, is our study benchmarking the performance of over 300 shows and movies in the media markets. It tracks how 0–16 year-olds consume their favourite brands across platforms.

The issue for brands, comes in:

•    The volume of content choice, there are so many platforms and so many brands now.

•    The franchise business models. Advertising has not, to date, been the revenue generator for many popular platforms.

•    Social platforms reward clicks and views and not sustained viewing, which is what builds long term affinity to a show.

•    Many of these popular platforms are not deemed appropriate for under 13s, even though kids are there - regulation and advertising effectiveness doesn’t always fit.

The sheer volume of choice creates two issues in building long-term brand engagement. Firstly, it is now harder to find your audience, and it is even harder to retain it amongst all the noise. Typically children had a preferred channel with a favourite show, and programming was consistent. Now they sift content served via algorithms on screens that parents often don’t see.

Over the years of tracking family media habits, we have seen a growth in streamers’ ability to motivate consumer product sales. NBC Universal has DreamWorks Netflix Originals. Spirit, with its fanbase, was one of the first brands that demonstrated the ability to build toy sales and intent.

Since then, we have seen YouTube-firsts CoComelon, and most recently Gabby’s DollHouse become Netflix hits. 38% of those who have watched CoComelon have bought the toy, a further 26% would consider buying a toy. With Gabby’s Dollhouse, 32% of viewers have bought a related toy, with a further 24% considering buying a toy.

So some brands are effectively navigating the changing media landscape and more changes are coming, which may further support toy sales:

•    An increase in co-viewing via direct-to-consumer platforms, such as Disney +, and even family experience movies like Super Mario Bros, Barbie and Transformers.

•    The role of social (including social gaming) in allowing audiences to interact with their favourite brands and characters.

•    The old model of advertising being placed onto the ‘new(ish)’ media as a way of funding growth.

•    Maturing digital first IP, like CoComelon, Gabby’s Dollhouse, Angry Birds and Mr Beast.

•    Netflix’s commitment to gaming, which may increase interactivity on the platform with children’s favourite characters.

Sian:    So, how are brands thinking about the fragmentation of media in terms of engaging their audiences?

•    By using the fan bridge to connect brands with audiences

We created the bridge model to highlight the significance of a dialogue between the brand and its audience. For brands to thrive in this constantly evolving media landscape, it’s crucial to honour their heritage while remaining relevant to the modern consumer. By leveraging fans, brands can maintain a consistent tone and foster meaningful interactions with their audience.

A great example of this is The Barbie Movie, which achieved remarkable success with the biggest box office weekend of 2023 by effectively engaging with fans in the run up to its release. One of the methods they used was a social filter. In June, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc launched the Barbie Selfie Generator, resulting in a staggering 23,350% increase of brand mentions during the week the filter activity was live.

By offering tools for user-generated content, the brand encouraged its audience to actively participate, essentially creating an ecosystem where fans willingly did the promotional work for them. They cultivated a conversation, driving sustained brand loyalty in the digital age and driving a desire among parents to share the brand with their kids.

•    Ensuring that kids are listened to in how they want to interact with their favourite characters

We’ve always wanted to give kids a voice and are obsessed with listening and learning from them. Brands should be dedicated to creating a world where kids are not only heard but actively involved in shaping their future.

A great example of this is how Paramount launched the SpongeBob x Minecraft DLC in 2022. It’s been over two decades since SpongeBob SquarePants first launched, and in that time, the brand has built a huge fan base. But as the show grew up, so did its fans. As a result, the internet was packed full of SpongeBob content, perfect for a Millennial, nostalgic audience, but irrelevant for younger fans who are seeing very little SpongeBob content outside of the TV show.

By genuinely listening to its kid audience and embracing the gaming space, Paramount successfully extended the brand's reach and relevance to a new generation of fans on Minecraft, allowing them to interact with their favourite characters in new and exciting ways. Shifts like this are essential, given the crucial role characters play in steering consumer purchase preferences.

•    Helping children and parents build narrative and play around the shows they love

Brands should emphasise imaginative activities that expand the show's storyline beyond the screen. While parents' primary motivation for buying branded products is often their child's affection for the characters, brands must discover innovative methods to make these beloved figures come alive in interactive play, ensuring that the experience remains engaging and dynamic rather than passive.

The animated series Bluey shows how kids learn and grow through creating their own games. Parents appreciate the show's portrayal of family play dynamics, with fans praising its positive impact on family bonding and parenting experiences. The show's depiction of unstructured play is seen as a reminder for parents to have fun and enjoy their roles.

Bluey takes it one-step further by helping cultivate play experiences off-screen too. In the show, Bluey and Bingo can trigger the dance mode on their parents, which prompts them to stop what they’re doing and start dancing. Bluey released an augmented reality app to bring this experience to life in the real world, where families could interact and dance with their favourite characters from the show.

To conclude, brands that can effectively adapt to this environment by leveraging co-viewing experiences, social interactions and interactivity stand a better chance of maintaining brand loyalty and driving sales. The "fan bridge" model and involving children in shaping media experiences emerge as key strategies for success. Through interactive play and creative engagement, brands can create a lasting impact on young audiences while maintaining relevance in the digital age.