Brat packs

Children have clear-cut preferences as far as promos are concerned

"It is now a well-established fact that children play a major role in purchasing decisions. This is true not just in categories like confectionery and toys that directly concern them but in other household purchases, from toothpaste and tomato sauce to appliances and automobiles.

If children's growing role in purchasing forms one part of the emerging marketing equation, sales promotions form the other.

Today, promos are no longer considered a mere tactical exercise to increase sales; in most product categories, they play a vital role in brand building.

What is the connection between children and promos? Simply that promos have been known to do well among children, so marketers cannot really afford to ignore them when they design their schemes.

In this context, below-the-line marketing could prove to be more effective in marketing to children since promos provide the instant gratification, novelty and excitement that they seek.

What could work
For a start, market research among children is vital since things change fast in a child's world. By pre-testing the promotion options, one can determine the most favourable promo in terms of the offer and positive impact on the brand image.

Before launching a mega-promotion, insights into some areas such as the most suitable premium in terms of brand-fit, perceived value, appeal and the type of offer considered most attractive (discounts, freebies, contests, value packs and so on) could be useful.

Kids-Link, the consumer insights arm of Kidstuff Promos & Events, carried out a study among 460 boys and girls aged eight to14 years old in the SEC A, B, C categories across Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai to understand various aspects of kids' promos.

The data was collected through face-to-face interviews conducted using a structured questionnaire. (A screener was used to filter out invalid respondents and information like SEC was collected from the parents.)

In the charts, all responses individually less than 1 per cent have been clubbed together as "others" and null/no responses shown as "NS". Here are some findings from the research study.

Favourite event
On being asked which event would be the most exciting to participate in, the majority of the children said sports "" in the form of competitions, races and individual sports like cricket and hockey.

Dance competitions emerged in first place as the single event enjoying maximum endorsement, while quiz competitions stood third.

While there have been quite a few sponsored sports and quiz contests, dance competitions have emerged as a new opportunity.

If the event is interesting, the sponsoring brand can expect to gain a positive association with the participants and the attendees.

However, there must be synergy between the brand and the event. For example, Bournvita, a brand of hot milk additive, is positioned as nutrition to enhance physical as well as mental agility.

It, therefore, makes sense for Bournvita to sponsor a cerebral activity like a quiz contest. Moreover, events are a great opportunity in mini-metros and smaller cities where children have relatively fewer sources of excitement and entertainment compared to those living in the metros.

Some events that have done well among children are the under-12 cricket in floodlights event sponsored by Frooti and the Bournvita Quiz Contest.

The most-liked offer
One of the best examples of children-focused promotions is the trinkets found in Cracker Jack boxes since way back in 1912, in the US.

To find out the winner from the different options available for a promo, the children in the poll were shown six options and asked to indicate which was the best.

"Get a small gift on buying a product" "" that is, premiums "" emerged as the most effective way of motivating kids to buy, with nearly two-thirds of the children favouring that as the offer they like the most (chart 2). An offer such as "some money back" doesn't even come close. This can be attributed to the understanding that most kids want something interesting "right here, right now", hence an assured prize is bound to work with them.

The biggest prize
The children were asked what would be their dream prize "" that is, if they won the first prize in a contest, what prize would make them most happy. The success of a contest often depends on the prize since it can attract participation.

For most children, a cycle was the best prize, followed closely by a computer. The choice of a computer can probably be attributed to the positioning of a PC as an edutainment and creativity development tool for kids.

The survey showed that even a small token of recognition, like a medal or a certificate, is a source of happiness.

Surprisingly, a trip abroad "" which has been used as the big ticket in many contests targeted at children "" is relatively low on the list.

The best low-value freebie
The low-value freebie is the one thing that a child is sure of getting on purchasing the product (he may not be lucky enough to get the limited mid-value prizes or the single high-value bumper prize).

This freebie fulfills the need for instant gratification. For the marketer, deciding what to distribute as the freebie is an important decision since high numbers are involved.

To find out what would be the best small freebie, the children were asked to name "the most exciting thing they could buy for Rs 2 or less".

Not surprisingly, the majority of responses were confectionery-related, with candy and chocolate leading the list (chart 4). Choco stick "" a relatively new variant "" is also popular.

Tattoos, stickers, erasers and mini-comic books have often been used as low-value freebies. In the recent past, a Tazo (a small piece of plastic or cardboard with an image on one side and a number on the other) has been a popular freebies among children not only in India, but other countries as well.

In India, Tazos were given with Frito Lays snacks and proved to be a big success as they had play value and created excitement in terms of children competing to add to their collections.

Favourite premium
Premiums satisfy the need for novelty and excitement that children seek. The respondents were asked to name the product they liked best of all the things they've got free on buying a product.

A cricket bat emerged as the favourite. A number of other responses were also related to sports, such as footballs and trophies. Next to a cricket bat, a wrist watch is the most popular premium.

Marketers are successfully looking at below-the-line activities as an effective option to increase market share in terms of reach and numbers.

Promos could drive the consumer to buy by providing a tangible incentive (in the form of a freebie, discount and so on).

Deepak Halan is head, consumer insights, Kidstuff Promos & Events. His email is: dhalan2001@yahoo.com