Children are our consumers today and in the future, let’s raise our future consumers the right way. While we serenade them today, lets keep an eye on how our communication is impacting them, because it will not only impact Brand strategy but has the potential to raise a generation of cynics who are difficult to talk to and difficult to persuade as consumers
Seven steps to raise them right…
India offers the exuberance and buoyancy of a young nation along with population numbers and a rapidly developing economy. Children in India constitute 18.7 per cent of the world kids’ population and one-third of the country’s population is under the age of 15 years.
An opportunity that marketers can keep mining for a long period of time.
Even in 2020, around 50% of countries population of India will still be under 35.
Getting the idiom right to communicate with the kid consumer is going to determine a lot more than just monetary gains. It entails not only developing the market and reaping its benefits over a long period of time, it also means weaving the social fabric of a nation which will is an emerging force to reckon with…and the real challenge lies in doing so with foresight and responsibility.
Are we reaching out to the kids with adult messages and pushing them to grow up sooner than required? Are we destroying the innocent questioning mind and a sense of awe that is the essence of childhood? Are we doing too much too soon? Are we developing a generation of cynics who we will find a challenge to reach out to?
A closer look at the winds of change in a kid’s life in urban India…..
Seven signs and symptoms of the environment pushing kids to grow up before time …and gradually hanging the very definition of childhood
1. Gone are little smock dresses, pretty frocks or little boys blue shorts or anything that looks childlike
Picture this….you go to shop clothes for a 4 year old girl and all you find is a low waist jeans, tank tops, spaghetti strap dress! Mostly grown up designs in small sizes…in fact a look around the store makes you feel that teen and young adult clothing has shrunk to size 4…
2. Most toys that are popular seem to imagine for the kids rather than encourage imagination;
Boys have play laptops and an array of strange cards which can be traded. The yester years top has given way to the fancy Beyblade...while the humble top required the child to wind it well, the Beyblade is mechanical.
3. It is known that children learn by emulating adult behavior, but are we forgetting that we are propagating occasional adult behavior as routine behavior to young minds?
The soaps that the mom and mom in law watch are being watched in the presence of the kids. Delve deeper and we know that though the kids appear disinterested they are taking in the adultery, con games, vindictive dialogues and all the other convoluted plots that most soaps depict.
4. Weren’t birthday parties about having a great time and the joy of eating pastries and chips?
The number of birthday parties that kids attend makes their social calendar busier than most happening adults that I know. The birthday party is more than just having fun, it’s about winning a game at the party, carrying an expensive gift, getting a cool return gift, getting dropped in a fancy car and all other status, competition driven activities
5. Shouldn’t we be gently exposing children to various dimensions of achievement? And let them choose their field of play?
The super all rounder kid is another message that most media propagate. Each of us has our own strengths and life is all about leveraging these strengths. To make it look as though either you can do it all or you are not a happening child is not only dangerous; we also risk creating unnatural expectations.
6. There is little room for unstructured play which psychologists say is the best way to foster the imagination and creativity of a child.
Childhood memories were made of… Lazy afternoons, Sherbet ice cubes, dolls wedding, skipping rope, playing teacher- teacher, playing with friends in the colony or just simply being….I thought motherhood would let me relive my childhood but I find the story is rather different today… a plethora of activity classes, too many choices, too much competition even in play activities, very little baby talk, far more demanding children who have lesser time on hands to do kid things.
7. The young minds exposed to media are not developed enough to process the information and the call for action that some advertisements, programs and reality shows make.
All advertising seems to talk to kids. It seems to be delivering Brand messages either to kids directly or through kids to adults. A lot has already been said on pester power and the fact that one in every four commercials have a kid as the protagonist or are heavily kid centric is proof enough that marketers are wooing kids like never before.
It seems too much too soon for the kids who are attracted to the entrapment of adulthood but are far from being emotionally ready to handle the responsibility that comes with it.
Sangita Dhir, A teacher in a leading school in India opines that parents are equally responsible for this phenomenon as they want their children to learn too many things too soon and grow up soon... Sangita says “Lifestyle has changed and with income levels rising up and so have the demands and aspirations of parents and children.” She also points out that Parents adjust their children’s routines around their own rather than vice versa, resulting in late nights and dozing off at school, going to adult hangouts and shopping sprees…”
She feels that working parents compensate for lack of time by showering kids with expensive gifts. She narrates an incident where a parent told her that his son’s daily expenditure is a staggering amount, Yet another parent shared that the child calls from a shop asks for a shocking amount to be sent to him to pick up something he liked”! She concludes in a concerned tone, “Values systems and value of things is fast diminishing…”
Psychologists say, when communication at the sensory level addresses toddlers as though they are kids and kids as though they are teenagers it pushes them towards adult behavior. Kids are likely to fill up their minds in age inappropriate thoughts like smoking, alcohol, sex etc… This takes them away from sports, academics and other activities that children would otherwise be involved with. Any failure due to this diversion makes them rebellious.
A few truths about childhood and children put things in perspective…
Firstly, most kids consume messages in black and white and gullible to believing a message without deeper processing. So it’s all or nothing…
Secondly children are not futuristic, they live their life in the present and are the best example of making the most of today and not thinking about tomorrow.
Thirdly, though children need independence, most children feel the need for clear cut guidelines. Especially at a young age since they have not yet developed the skill to logically prioritize activities
Fourthly learned behavior is a reality. Almost all children learn by observing behavior and response to behavior. The influence of a role model in shaping a Childs beliefs and attitudes is quite significant. Role models could be parents, peers, favorite hero or anyone the child looks upto.
And last but not the least, Children learn and experience through all the five senses because their cognitive ability is developing. Overexposure and multiplicity of messages can lead to sensory overload which causes confusion and learning disability.
Clearly we are treading on impressionable ground. While there are other social changes which are impacting children, communication on mass media is by far the biggest influencer of all.
The legal guidelines for advertising to kids only deal with the obvious, i.e. no violence, no denigration of a child, no abusive language and so on and so forth. There is no mention of persuasive language used with selective truth and limited facts that can do more harm than what seems obviously wrong. Let us not forget that just showing the effect and not the means could mislead children.
While the legal criminals are written about, discussed and probably brought to the book, the creative criminals are rarely pulled up.
Unless we become aware sooner than later, we will find it impossible to penetrate the cynicism of the new society, a trap that we would have set for ourselves. I call it the “Pre mature adults” (PMA) syndrome.
What is PMA syndrome?
When kids behave like adults or clearly beyond their age and are not mentally ready to handle the consequences of this behavior or rationalize the experience.
In the context of marketing and brand strategy, it is important to remember that kids form their attitudes and beliefs as they step out in the world and begin the socialization process. Purchase behavior and usage experience forms a part of this socialization process. A purchase occasion either alone or jointly with parents imparts an experience to the growing up child and this experience in a part of his upbringing as a consumer. Positive experiences can make him a positive, happy consumer and negative experiences can make him cynical about Brands and promotional offerings.
Some implications of this “pre mature adults” syndrome trap …
Destroying sense of awe
Life is exciting because it unfolds itself to the many surprises it has to offer. The sense of awe is what keeps minds fresh and open. Knowing too much too soon not only kills the joy of discovering it almost destroys sense of awe and hence our sense of finding joy in simple things.
Role ambiguity
Conflicting messages from parents and society at large can confuse kids and they may not have clarity as to what is their role and how they should conduct themselves. At a deeper level this can create loss of confidence and complexes in a child’s psyche.
Limiting creativity and imagination
If all the thinking is going to be done for them and everything is going to be available on a platter, it is bound to slow down their questioning mind. A lion who doesn’t hunt behaves like a tame dog after a while; it is about conditioning of the mind.
Growing cynicism
One of the biggest implications is that of growing cynicism…
A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future (Sidney J. Harris)
The accessibility and sensory overload will give rise to cynicism as our children grow up. They will always struggle to find something more meaningful in life. Successful Brands build relationships with consumers…what kind of relationships can one build with cynics?
Affecting sense of self-worth
As they are bombarded with perfect all rounder kids and materialism it could destroy their sense of self worth and may give rise to a generation of disillusioned individuals.
What does this mean to us as BRAND communication experts?
Why should we be concerned? Not only because we are socially responsible but also because our task will become tougher. Pre mature adults could mean …
No iconic Brands
Well ICONIC Brands are created by consumers who are positive, love themselves and find an expression of their identity in a Brand.
Lack of trust and credibility
It’s a bit like the 'tiger has come' story…when the tiger doesn’t turn up a couple of times you stop believing he exists. Brands will find it that much more difficult to build credibility about their proposition.
Lack of commitment towards Brands
It is different for a consumer to exercise choice but it is disturbing if the consumers become indifferent.
Brand communication that addresses compensatory behavior rather than being inspiring…and surely we want to create inspiring Brands.
So, what can we do as communication experts?
There are no easy nice sounding answers but would help to make a beginning. We need to walk the tight rope of being a strategist at times and a counselor at other times. While general tendency is to follow legal guidelines it may be a great idea to self regulate before the legal forces catch up.
Seven steps to raise them right…ensure that we don’t raise premature adults who make for a more cynical consumer…
1-Retain innocence in our messages
We need to resist the temptation to layer our messages with implied meaning and depiction of too many grey areas.
2-Be simple in delivering the message
Well simplicity never really goes out of fashion and more so when we are talking to kids. The simplicity of words and message will go a long way in reducing confusion and increasing effectiveness.
3-Be truthful
While we all need to sell products we also work towards a larger objective, that of providing a better life to the consumer with our products. The day we compromise our product truth, we risk being seen through some time.
4-Be contextual
Kids relate to behavior in a context, when we make claims let us clearly set the context so as to allow the kids to decode the message clearly.
5-Parent test all communication
Parents are closest to kids and, play an important part in shaping kids personalities. It would help to take them through communication messages and listen to their suggestions. We must factor the feedback into our professional judgment.
6-Use symbolic language carefully
Communication needs to ensure that symbolic language doesn’t confuse or doesn’t over sensitize…For example Color, Sound, Dress; Body language etc…will impact how a child decodes the communication. And children learn decoding over time as their socialization process happens.
The color Red could be associated to ‘Santa’ in a child’s mind, but to an adult mind it is associated with danger, passion, valentine’s day etc…It is therefore important to keep the symbolic communication child relevant
7-Help them decide…don’t lure them….
This point is brilliantly put in James .V.McNeal ‘s book about marketing to Children-“Children are consumers – in- training….Anyone can deceive them, cheat them, It takes a mighty good marketer to satisfy child’s needs and wants without doing any of these…”
Let’s attempt to raise balanced and happy consumers just like we attempt to raise our children.
To sum up, while all of us make careers out of encouraging consumerism, we need to exercise caution in hurrying up our children. While it will give short term gains, it will in the long run make for a cynical, bored and burned out society. Probably the signs are already evident with teens and young adults taking to spiritualism way too early in life and a ‘been there done that’ attitude.
When we launch a new Brand we are so careful and nurturing towards helping it grow. We carefully guide it to find its own space.
When we raise our children we ensure we inculcate in them a set of values we believe in and shape their personalities to make them balanced happy and successful individuals.
Let’s do the same for our future consumers, let’s raise consumers the right way…provide them positive Brand and communication experiences. This thoughtful upbringing of little consumers will pay us in the long term by giving us healthy adult consumers both in attitude and deed.
India offers the exuberance and buoyancy of a young nation along with population numbers and a rapidly developing economy. Children in India constitute 18.7 per cent of the world kids’ population and one-third of the country’s population is under the age of 15 years.
An opportunity that marketers can keep mining for a long period of time.
Even in 2020, around 50% of countries population of India will still be under 35.
Getting the idiom right to communicate with the kid consumer is going to determine a lot more than just monetary gains. It entails not only developing the market and reaping its benefits over a long period of time, it also means weaving the social fabric of a nation which will is an emerging force to reckon with…and the real challenge lies in doing so with foresight and responsibility.
Are we reaching out to the kids with adult messages and pushing them to grow up sooner than required? Are we destroying the innocent questioning mind and a sense of awe that is the essence of childhood? Are we doing too much too soon? Are we developing a generation of cynics who we will find a challenge to reach out to?
A closer look at the winds of change in a kid’s life in urban India…..
Seven signs and symptoms of the environment pushing kids to grow up before time …and gradually hanging the very definition of childhood
1. Gone are little smock dresses, pretty frocks or little boys blue shorts or anything that looks childlike
Picture this….you go to shop clothes for a 4 year old girl and all you find is a low waist jeans, tank tops, spaghetti strap dress! Mostly grown up designs in small sizes…in fact a look around the store makes you feel that teen and young adult clothing has shrunk to size 4…
2. Most toys that are popular seem to imagine for the kids rather than encourage imagination;
Boys have play laptops and an array of strange cards which can be traded. The yester years top has given way to the fancy Beyblade...while the humble top required the child to wind it well, the Beyblade is mechanical.
3. It is known that children learn by emulating adult behavior, but are we forgetting that we are propagating occasional adult behavior as routine behavior to young minds?
The soaps that the mom and mom in law watch are being watched in the presence of the kids. Delve deeper and we know that though the kids appear disinterested they are taking in the adultery, con games, vindictive dialogues and all the other convoluted plots that most soaps depict.
4. Weren’t birthday parties about having a great time and the joy of eating pastries and chips?
The number of birthday parties that kids attend makes their social calendar busier than most happening adults that I know. The birthday party is more than just having fun, it’s about winning a game at the party, carrying an expensive gift, getting a cool return gift, getting dropped in a fancy car and all other status, competition driven activities
5. Shouldn’t we be gently exposing children to various dimensions of achievement? And let them choose their field of play?
The super all rounder kid is another message that most media propagate. Each of us has our own strengths and life is all about leveraging these strengths. To make it look as though either you can do it all or you are not a happening child is not only dangerous; we also risk creating unnatural expectations.
6. There is little room for unstructured play which psychologists say is the best way to foster the imagination and creativity of a child.
Childhood memories were made of… Lazy afternoons, Sherbet ice cubes, dolls wedding, skipping rope, playing teacher- teacher, playing with friends in the colony or just simply being….I thought motherhood would let me relive my childhood but I find the story is rather different today… a plethora of activity classes, too many choices, too much competition even in play activities, very little baby talk, far more demanding children who have lesser time on hands to do kid things.
7. The young minds exposed to media are not developed enough to process the information and the call for action that some advertisements, programs and reality shows make.
All advertising seems to talk to kids. It seems to be delivering Brand messages either to kids directly or through kids to adults. A lot has already been said on pester power and the fact that one in every four commercials have a kid as the protagonist or are heavily kid centric is proof enough that marketers are wooing kids like never before.
It seems too much too soon for the kids who are attracted to the entrapment of adulthood but are far from being emotionally ready to handle the responsibility that comes with it.
Sangita Dhir, A teacher in a leading school in India opines that parents are equally responsible for this phenomenon as they want their children to learn too many things too soon and grow up soon... Sangita says “Lifestyle has changed and with income levels rising up and so have the demands and aspirations of parents and children.” She also points out that Parents adjust their children’s routines around their own rather than vice versa, resulting in late nights and dozing off at school, going to adult hangouts and shopping sprees…”
She feels that working parents compensate for lack of time by showering kids with expensive gifts. She narrates an incident where a parent told her that his son’s daily expenditure is a staggering amount, Yet another parent shared that the child calls from a shop asks for a shocking amount to be sent to him to pick up something he liked”! She concludes in a concerned tone, “Values systems and value of things is fast diminishing…”
Psychologists say, when communication at the sensory level addresses toddlers as though they are kids and kids as though they are teenagers it pushes them towards adult behavior. Kids are likely to fill up their minds in age inappropriate thoughts like smoking, alcohol, sex etc… This takes them away from sports, academics and other activities that children would otherwise be involved with. Any failure due to this diversion makes them rebellious.
A few truths about childhood and children put things in perspective…
Firstly, most kids consume messages in black and white and gullible to believing a message without deeper processing. So it’s all or nothing…
Secondly children are not futuristic, they live their life in the present and are the best example of making the most of today and not thinking about tomorrow.
Thirdly, though children need independence, most children feel the need for clear cut guidelines. Especially at a young age since they have not yet developed the skill to logically prioritize activities
Fourthly learned behavior is a reality. Almost all children learn by observing behavior and response to behavior. The influence of a role model in shaping a Childs beliefs and attitudes is quite significant. Role models could be parents, peers, favorite hero or anyone the child looks upto.
And last but not the least, Children learn and experience through all the five senses because their cognitive ability is developing. Overexposure and multiplicity of messages can lead to sensory overload which causes confusion and learning disability.
Clearly we are treading on impressionable ground. While there are other social changes which are impacting children, communication on mass media is by far the biggest influencer of all.
The legal guidelines for advertising to kids only deal with the obvious, i.e. no violence, no denigration of a child, no abusive language and so on and so forth. There is no mention of persuasive language used with selective truth and limited facts that can do more harm than what seems obviously wrong. Let us not forget that just showing the effect and not the means could mislead children.
While the legal criminals are written about, discussed and probably brought to the book, the creative criminals are rarely pulled up.
Unless we become aware sooner than later, we will find it impossible to penetrate the cynicism of the new society, a trap that we would have set for ourselves. I call it the “Pre mature adults” (PMA) syndrome.
What is PMA syndrome?
When kids behave like adults or clearly beyond their age and are not mentally ready to handle the consequences of this behavior or rationalize the experience.
In the context of marketing and brand strategy, it is important to remember that kids form their attitudes and beliefs as they step out in the world and begin the socialization process. Purchase behavior and usage experience forms a part of this socialization process. A purchase occasion either alone or jointly with parents imparts an experience to the growing up child and this experience in a part of his upbringing as a consumer. Positive experiences can make him a positive, happy consumer and negative experiences can make him cynical about Brands and promotional offerings.
Some implications of this “pre mature adults” syndrome trap …
Destroying sense of awe
Life is exciting because it unfolds itself to the many surprises it has to offer. The sense of awe is what keeps minds fresh and open. Knowing too much too soon not only kills the joy of discovering it almost destroys sense of awe and hence our sense of finding joy in simple things.
Role ambiguity
Conflicting messages from parents and society at large can confuse kids and they may not have clarity as to what is their role and how they should conduct themselves. At a deeper level this can create loss of confidence and complexes in a child’s psyche.
Limiting creativity and imagination
If all the thinking is going to be done for them and everything is going to be available on a platter, it is bound to slow down their questioning mind. A lion who doesn’t hunt behaves like a tame dog after a while; it is about conditioning of the mind.
Growing cynicism
One of the biggest implications is that of growing cynicism…
A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future (Sidney J. Harris)
The accessibility and sensory overload will give rise to cynicism as our children grow up. They will always struggle to find something more meaningful in life. Successful Brands build relationships with consumers…what kind of relationships can one build with cynics?
Affecting sense of self-worth
As they are bombarded with perfect all rounder kids and materialism it could destroy their sense of self worth and may give rise to a generation of disillusioned individuals.
What does this mean to us as BRAND communication experts?
Why should we be concerned? Not only because we are socially responsible but also because our task will become tougher. Pre mature adults could mean …
No iconic Brands
Well ICONIC Brands are created by consumers who are positive, love themselves and find an expression of their identity in a Brand.
Lack of trust and credibility
It’s a bit like the 'tiger has come' story…when the tiger doesn’t turn up a couple of times you stop believing he exists. Brands will find it that much more difficult to build credibility about their proposition.
Lack of commitment towards Brands
It is different for a consumer to exercise choice but it is disturbing if the consumers become indifferent.
Brand communication that addresses compensatory behavior rather than being inspiring…and surely we want to create inspiring Brands.
So, what can we do as communication experts?
There are no easy nice sounding answers but would help to make a beginning. We need to walk the tight rope of being a strategist at times and a counselor at other times. While general tendency is to follow legal guidelines it may be a great idea to self regulate before the legal forces catch up.
Seven steps to raise them right…ensure that we don’t raise premature adults who make for a more cynical consumer…
1-Retain innocence in our messages
We need to resist the temptation to layer our messages with implied meaning and depiction of too many grey areas.
2-Be simple in delivering the message
Well simplicity never really goes out of fashion and more so when we are talking to kids. The simplicity of words and message will go a long way in reducing confusion and increasing effectiveness.
3-Be truthful
While we all need to sell products we also work towards a larger objective, that of providing a better life to the consumer with our products. The day we compromise our product truth, we risk being seen through some time.
4-Be contextual
Kids relate to behavior in a context, when we make claims let us clearly set the context so as to allow the kids to decode the message clearly.
5-Parent test all communication
Parents are closest to kids and, play an important part in shaping kids personalities. It would help to take them through communication messages and listen to their suggestions. We must factor the feedback into our professional judgment.
6-Use symbolic language carefully
Communication needs to ensure that symbolic language doesn’t confuse or doesn’t over sensitize…For example Color, Sound, Dress; Body language etc…will impact how a child decodes the communication. And children learn decoding over time as their socialization process happens.
The color Red could be associated to ‘Santa’ in a child’s mind, but to an adult mind it is associated with danger, passion, valentine’s day etc…It is therefore important to keep the symbolic communication child relevant
7-Help them decide…don’t lure them….
This point is brilliantly put in James .V.McNeal ‘s book about marketing to Children-“Children are consumers – in- training….Anyone can deceive them, cheat them, It takes a mighty good marketer to satisfy child’s needs and wants without doing any of these…”
Let’s attempt to raise balanced and happy consumers just like we attempt to raise our children.
To sum up, while all of us make careers out of encouraging consumerism, we need to exercise caution in hurrying up our children. While it will give short term gains, it will in the long run make for a cynical, bored and burned out society. Probably the signs are already evident with teens and young adults taking to spiritualism way too early in life and a ‘been there done that’ attitude.
When we launch a new Brand we are so careful and nurturing towards helping it grow. We carefully guide it to find its own space.
When we raise our children we ensure we inculcate in them a set of values we believe in and shape their personalities to make them balanced happy and successful individuals.
Let’s do the same for our future consumers, let’s raise consumers the right way…provide them positive Brand and communication experiences. This thoughtful upbringing of little consumers will pay us in the long term by giving us healthy adult consumers both in attitude and deed.
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