Tapping into the kids TG – Deep insights into how they are consuming content
Day 1 of the 4th edition of SCREENXX Summit & Awards 2022 turned the spotlight on ‘Kids genre today - Little voices, Big impact’. The session was chaired by Gauri Awasthi, Excited Founder and Chief Curator, The Artisan Street. The panelists included:
Uttam Pal Singh, Head - Kids cluster South Asia, Cartoon Network, POGO, Discovery Kids
Sujoy Roy Bardhan, Head – Marketing, On Air Promotions & Licensing, Sony YAY!
Krishnarao Buddha, Senior Category Head - Marketing, Parle Products
Jayen Mehta, Chief Operating Officer, Amul
Brian D'Costa, AVP - Content & Strategy, Gubbare
Gauri Awasthi commenced the session with a question to the panelists, “TV remains the preferred medium for kids. Are brands tapping into the Kids’ genre fully in keeping with the changing consumption patterns of kids’ content? Are we a part of the changing times?”
Uttam Singh noted that TV has been a very preferred medium, not just for the kids, but the parents and the family as well. “We have come a long way in establishing kids as a genre rather than just being just a television channel. It started with just one television channel in 1995, which was Cartoon Network, and then to currently where we have about 18 to 20 kids’ channels in India, and a thriving kids’ ecosystem. It is primarily led by a lot of industry stalwarts. We, in India, as a servicing nation to the entire global animation industry to then starting to telling your own stories from 2000 onwards when this little character ‘Chota Bheem’ was launched on Pogo. It changed the entire specifics. Since then, this genre has seen a lot of investment and has today developed into a really thriving ecosystem, which we are all a part of,” he added.
Singh further said, “It’s like ‘Small Voices, Big Impact’, as the title suggests – that is really what the Kids’ genre has been doing. We are serving 350 million kids throughout India. TV is still going to be a preferred medium, going ahead for the kids.”
Sujoy Roy Bardhan spoke about the drastic changes that happened during the pandemic, where a lot of content consumption happened on the digital front, and a lot of time was spent on entertainment because people were spending a lot of time at home. According to Roy, that pretty much led to a lot of “content infusion” in the kids’ space. “And that’s why we have created content for kids – whether they are watching Sony YAY! on the television set or they are watching on OTT platform. We want to create content and increase consumption,” he added.
Referring to a research, titled ‘Search Lights’, which Sony YAY did in 2022, Bardhan said that the key finding was that the preferred medium for kids continues to be television, which amounted to 57% of our respondents. “So, that leaves us in a very good space and with a lot more responsibility, because we then need to cater to them through this engaging content. We have to continuously ideate and evaluate where we are with respect to that content and keep delivering fresher content to kids.”
Krishnarao Buddha, too, agreed that TV will remain the favourite medium for kids for many more years. But at the same, he also pointed to the changing consumption pattern during the pandemic period, which forced every household to have multiple devices for online studies, working from home which resulted in using smaller as well as larger screens. “And that has given a sort of fuel to personal consumption of data or content, and that is actually digressed from television for sure. I think it is critical for brands to explore and to maintain a balance. While a large stake for a brand like Parle would still remain television, at the same time we have started our movement towards addressing an audience on other mediums. As a brand, it is extremely important to maintain, and to ensure that all audience is tapped into.”
While agreeing that TV will continue to be a preferred medium, Jayen Mehta preferred to look at it from three perspectives – as an advertiser, as a parent and as a consumer, which is the child. “As advertisers, we need to look at all the available mediums, and TV continues to be the best available addressable medium, because on YouTube you cannot advertise to a kid; on OTT, advertising is not so easy. As a parent, TV gives you that safety and security of a medium and also the parental guidance, control and focus. We should also remember that the viewership is co-viewing – when the kid is watching, the mother is also watching, and vice versa. So, in that case it is easier for the brand to be addressing both the important segments simultaneously. And third, as a kid if I’m watching, I need content in multiple forms.”
Mehta further stressed said that it very imperative to adapt to the digital age as smoothly as possible, and that’s where Amul’s topical content also comes in a big way. “The Amul Girl is the girl that we want our kids to be – very smart, very contemporary, talking about issues without hurting anybody, and also being vocal and visible. So, that’s the medium that we are exploring in a big way – co-creating content with the kids or the mothers to address or reach out to them with relevant content on the digital medium. The brand communication has to be seamless – whether you see the ads on hoardings, print, digital or any other medium in which you experience the product and also appreciate the heritage as well as the futuristic approach of a brand by creating products, which the generations of tomorrow require. We can design products by keeping in mind what tomorrow’s generation wants and not stay in the past as any other organisation.”
For the complete discussion, watch below:
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