Kids Online and Brand Marketing

Its been more than eight years since the first wave of Facebook started in America. We have been lucky that we were the few early adopters of Facebook. We have come a long way in how we use the digital medium  -- we no longer use proxy names, we are open to sharing files and information online and marketers now are able to targeted precisely based on data rather than just demographic filters. It would be interesting to see how the present generation of digital natives reshapes digital media and advertising in the near future with the ever changing cliché. 

The recently published turner new generation study provides some window to what lies ahead. It does throw some positive outlook with very clear indication that kids adopting new technologies in India have seen a significant rise over the past decade.
 

Gaming still remains the main reason why kids go online and interestingly it is the same as much for boys and girls. The cartoon network platform sees a good traction with more than ten million game plays a year. Today these compete with social games, mobile games and multi-player online games.while its been common to see a logo placements or branding the border with the the brand-messaging, real engagement happens when the game is specifically designed for the brand. Past data also indicate these have been a better way of interacting with kids rather than just a logo placement—it is not about the click-thru or banner impressions, but more about the lasting impression that the brand leaves with the new fan of your brand.
 

The second way of how kids consume online content is based on the nature and degree of user generated content is utilized.it has been found that kids no longer just passively browse through pages, but actually they too want to contribute- and they don’t expect a prize always. The act of recognition and feeling of empowerment by online users work really well. The key to run a user generated content is to run these along with an ongoing program and not to keep it a sort term campaign. Kids need time to invest and submerge in understanding a branded platform, hence an eight week campaign with a reward in the end may not be just enough. Planning digital bursts that delight kids to keep both awareness and engagement would be delightful for these young kids.
 

However, what is important in keeping a digital community is to ensure that kids get extra protection online. They are connected 24x7, hence keeping a proper moderation is absolutely essential. The second aspect is to take note of the voice of the community tat a brand would maintain. After having investing in gaming experiences and empowering the kids to be become digital creators, it is equally important to keep all these under a unified social community platform.Hence it becomes the community managers role to set an overall strategy and weekly activity going-spanning from games to the overall community building.
 

It is when this in a unified approach when it happens, kids see them as a rich experience rather than just marketing…and you’ve just created a long term fan of the brand and an important stakeholder.