Lifestyle & Socialization Trends in Childhood: Implications for CPG

Published by: Datamonitor

Published: Apr. 22, 2009 - 286 Pages

Table of Contents

Overview

Catalyst

Summary

Table of Contents

Table of figures

Table of tables

THE FUTURE DECODED

INTRODUCTION: The lifestyles and 'socialization' of kids as consumers have emerged as a topical issues, particularly within the context of pester power

TREND: Most societies are getting older, making children less numerous

Asia Pacific as a whole has a substantial young population irrespective of wider demographic trends

'Little Emperor Syndrome' began in China and is likely to spread elsewhere

Child and Tween populations are declining as a share of the whole across Asia Pacific

European society is aging significantly as the proportion of kids relative to the population as a whole declines

European consumers are having fewer children who may become more spoilt/cherished

Kids are one of the more numerous demographic groups in the US

However, low population growth in younger age groups means marketing methods must change

Fewer children in Europe and the US could mean the arrival of a 'Little Emperor' syndrome in the west

Takeouts and implications: the aging of society will have future consequences but will also affect the lives of children and their parents now

INSIGHT: Kids appear to be growing up more quickly

KGOY (Kids Grow Older Younger) is a prominent concept among marketers

Some critics have argues that KGOY is an over-hyped idea

Kids are becoming more technologically aware, desiring goods traditionally viewed as adult orientated

Children are physically growing up faster

Many parents and experts believe that children are starting school too early

Stress may play a role in early onset of puberty, especially among girls

Famous children's author Jacqueline Wilson feels kids are growing up quicker (under much pressure)

Children wanting to grow up quickly is not a new phenomenon

Misinterpreting the implications of KGOY can result in the wrath of parents

Ultimately, there are still differences in the way that children and Tweens identify with marketing concepts

Takeouts and implications: the fact that kids are growing up young presents the industry with some important issues to address

INSIGHT: The commercialization of childhood is a growing concern among important stakeholders

Materialism is perceived to be growing among contemporary kids

Materialism is thought to be most prevalent among Tweenagers

Materialism is also related to low self-esteem

The threat of materialism may not hamper CPG brands

Pester Power is an important concept for marketers

However, some kids pester their parents for positive reasons

There is also an emergent sub-trend of kids and parents making more collaborative product choices

Kids still draw some comfort from familiarity in a material world

Peer pressure is an enormous issue when it comes to consumption

Kids have differing attitudes towards materialism than other demographics

Kids are subjected to a lot of advertising about unhealthy snack foods

Kids, especially children, are intrinsically interested in price promotions

There is a 'generation gap' between parental perceptions and actual brand awareness shown by kids

Case study: there are differences between perceptions of branding in urban and rural China, which will be significant to marketers looking at this area

Branding can have positive effects on kids

Takeouts and implications: becoming exposed to commercial norms earlier in life is a popular theme in mainstream media and has several powerful effects on kids

INSIGHT: Media usage and consumption is affecting children's behaviors

Children are still watching television despite its risks and competition from digital media

However, US children are exposed to fewer paid adverts on television

Television is a crucial media for kids in China but its impact decreases as they get older

Children have grown up with the web and are using it heavily

Kids combine the use of television and the internet

Tweens use the internet to make more informed consumption choices

Mobile phone ownership has increased dramatically and is forecasted to continue at a rapid rate

Magazines are an important form of media to kids, especially girls, but may not be using role models effectively

Takeouts and implications: kids are avid consumers of information and media and are becoming slightly more media aware over time with each passing generation

INSIGHT: Children's lives appear to have become more stressful on many grounds

Child happiness, well-being and motivating factors vary widely by country

In Asia Pacific, children's happiness drivers vary significantly

In Europe and the US (OECD countries) children in Northern Europe have good well-being

Dutch children are contented because of well-managed expectations

Many children are becoming stressed by school work

Cramming classes in Asia (Japan, China and Singapore) are causing stress for many children

Increasing news coverage is an often unconsidered source of stress for kids

Kids cope with stress in a variety of different ways

Parents do not always understand when a child is stressed, and sometimes exacerbate the problem

Takeouts and implications: kids live in a stressful society, and this drives a need to achieve happiness through consumption

ACTION POINTS

ACTION: Leverage the growing trend of collaborative product selection by marketing to parents as well as children

Use timeless values and themes to attract parents as well as children

ACTION: Act responsibly to avoid future bans and wasted resource

Avoid confusing marketing claims to maintain parental trust

ACTION: Engage with children using appropriate media and interactive content

Understanding subtle differences in how Children and Tweens respond to marketing is crucial

APPENDIX

Definitions

Methodology

Further reading

Ask the analyst

Datamonitor consulting

Disclaimer

List of Tables

Table 1: European and US 5-9 year old Children's sources of discretionary income (US$ per week), by country, 2002-2012

Table 2: European and US 10-13 year old Tweens' sources of discretionary income (US$ per week), by country, 2002-2012

Table 3: Overall population of 5-9 year olds and 10-14 year olds in the Asia Pacific region, by age group and as proportion of overall population, by country, 2002-2012

Table 4: Overall population of 5-9 year olds and 10-14 year olds in Europe and the US, by age group and as proportion of overall population, by country, 2002-2012

Table 5: Total fertility rate, Europe, 1997-2007

Table 6: The maximum legal age at which children are required to begin primary education, by country

Table 7: Survey responses regarding the amount gratitude displayed by teens and tweens

Table 8: Regulations directly related to the advertisement of unhealthy foods to children, by country

Table 9: The number of brands correctly identified by children when prompted and unprompted, by class

Table 10: The action taken by firstborn children in order to influence parental buying habits

Table 11: Online brand/channels with the highest unique viewer composition (%), children age 2-11, April 2008

Table 12: Online brand/channels with the highest number of unique viewers, children age 2-11, April 2008

Table 13: Children who visited a website they saw or heard about in a television advert

Table 14: Mobile phone ownership rate (%) for Children in Europe, the US, Russia, Brazil and Asia Pacific, 2002-2012

Table 15: Mobile phone ownership rate (%) for Tweens in Europe, the US, Russia, Brazil and Asia Pacific, 2002-2012

Table 16: Selected drivers of childhood happiness in selected countries, Asia Pacific

Table 17: The most popular ways in which kids aged 9-13 deal with stressful situations

List of Figures

Figure 1: Kids are made up of two demographics: Children (5-9 year olds) and Tweens (10-13 year olds)

Figure 2: In Asia Pacific, population pyramids show a relatively young population in 2007*

Figure 3: Little Emperor syndrome may spread far beyond China

Figure 4: Society in Europe shows a decreasing proportion of kids in 2007

Figure 5: US society has many children but its population structure is slowly aging (2007)*

Figure 6: Little Emperor syndrome will have an impact wherever it occurs

Figure 7: The toys kids want for Christmas have become more electronic-based and more expensive

Figure 8: Children's changing aspirations and preferences make targeting difficult

Figure 9: Companies have received much criticism for the 'sexualization' of kids

Figure 10: Firefly has designed two new mobile phones with kids specifically in mind

Figure 11: Pester power is an important factor in childhood market dynamics

Figure 12: Kids are encouraged to consume copious amounts of junk food through marketing promotions

Figure 13: Studies show that price promotions are appealing to kids, even when they lack an understanding of money

Figure 14: Teachers have cited the good influences that celebrities can have on kids, like displaying public emotion and eating healthily

Figure 15: Kids are now supplementing or even replacing TV viewing time with internet usage

Figure 16: Children in Asia Pacific are happiest when with family and friends

Figure 17: The pressures of school and exams can cause large amounts of stress for kids

Figure 18: Kids deal with stress in several ways, some of which involve publicly managing the problem, and other which involve a more private approach

Figure 19: Munch Bunch seeks to blend nutrition to appeal to parents, with fun for kids

Figure 20: Müller's Little Stars is leveraging natural attributes and timeless values

Figure 21: Bubbilicious will no longer actively target the under 12s

Figure 22: Degree Girl's OMG campaign shows the potential multi-media campaigns

Figure 23: Marketing to kids in rural China is a question of resonating with the audience using national heroes

Abstract

• Detailed insights documenting the lifestyles and the role of kids aged 5-13 as consumers in contemporary society
• Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data tracking kids' preferences, interests, media consumption, and attitudes and behaviors towards CPG
• Detailed action points offering practical strategies based on the trends and insights analyzed in the report
• Covering 15 core countries: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK, US, Russia, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and Brazil

• Understand the key drivers and inhibitors affecting the CPG market targeted at kids.
• Access insightful quantitative and qualitative data aggregating the most compelling and recent research in this important topic.
• Improve your marketing to kids and parents by following best-practice guidelines for more effective on-trend targeting and communications.

• Industry analysis including market value, market volume, market share and forecast growth till 2012
• Assessment of intensity of competition based on five-forces model including degree of rivalry, substitutes, new entrants, buyer power and supplier power
• SWOT and 5-year financial analysis of top 10 players in the industry
• Descriptive profiles of the leading players including the strategic initiatives undertaken in the last 12 months

• Gain insights into the industry, leading companies and competitors through a single report
• Benchmark the leading players using 5-year financial analysis, ratios and adjusted financial statement data
• Form opinions about key players using SWOT Analysis to understand internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (opportunities and threats) influencing the companies
• Determine industry attractiveness from five-forces analysis of constituent segments

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