Kids Marketing Programs Need To Appeal To Moms Too

According to a recent article in the New York times, the F.T.C. estimated that food companies spent $1.6 billion to market their products to children in 2006.

Most of this was on TV advertising, which provides little or no real value to kids... and has consumer watchdog groups on the attack.

In order to market effectively to children, and avoid a consumer backlash, the industry is moving toward kids programs that offer something that parents approve of and kids enjoy.

Even the big guys, McDonalds, Burger King, and Coca-Cola, are changing their strategies, according to a report in Brand Republic.

Burger King has launched its first campaign to explicitly target mothers, while McDonald's is overhauling its Happy Meal toys to push an educational message among parents.

Coca-Cola, too, has recognized the need to develop a relationship with mothers and has shifted its focus to promote healthy, active lifestyles, as its products have been removed from schools and TV ads aimed at children curtailed.

That's why Kidzsmart has developed kids programs that kids enjoy, moms approve, and that can be fun for the whole family.

Based on sound educational principles that encourage literacy and numeracy, Kidzsmart's branded activity books, custom board games, and other promotional materials pass the parent test... and encourage them to play along!

Kids Placemats -- cool branded designs!

Hi there, I'm Rob and I'm the newest member of the Kidzsmart team.

It looks like I'm going to be keeping up this blog for a while and since I'm just finding my way around, I might as well share what I discover.

First of all, I just found the latest kids placemat designs, available with your own menu and logo printed on them. After asking around, it looks like there are dozens of different designs available for instant online ordering.

We will, of course, create a unique one featuring your own logo, color scheme, and branding elements if you prefer.



Here's the Outerspace and Pirate B designs, complete with games and puzzles to keep the whole family entertained.

Hope you like 'em!

Kids choose the meal... AND the place to stay!

If you're not receiving our newsletter, we'd love to send it to you! Feel free to say hi in the comments section of this blog or drop us a quick email to newsletter@kidzsmart.com and we'll have you set up!

Here's a bit of our most recent newsletter:

"We've always had requests from hotels and quickserve establishments, but have only recently embarked on focusing our ability to communicate brand messages to children in these two markets," says Dennis O'Brien, company President and Founder. "Years of success in providing paper-based children's marketing materials to casual restaurant chains has given Kidzsmart some new insights and solutions for marketing to families in the quickserve and hotel chain environments," he added.

In the quickserve market there is a long tradition of providing plastic toys and other giveaways to entice repeat business. There is clear recognition of the importance of marketing to kids and families. "What we hope to add to the mix is a more effective way to communicate brand messages to kids and have them interact with the brand in a way that toys and giveaways just don't provide," says Mike Haines, General Manager and Vice President of Kidzsmart. "Our recent work with quickserve chain Burgerville demonstrates that well-branded, environmentally-friendly, paper-based products have great potential in the take-out environment."

The hotel market is no stranger to branding. Today, there is growing recognition in the industry that deepening the family experience on a visit to a hotel can build brand loyalty. "If a family with young children is greeted with a fun activity kit that serves to build what we call a "signature family experience" for the brand, there's an obvious upside for both hotel and patron," notes Bill Brunson, Director of Sales and Marketing. "The more memorable and fun the experience is, the more likely the kids will say let's stay there again, which is the desired response."

Contact Kidzsmart to discuss custom, branded solutions for your hotel or restaurant!