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Published by: Mintel International Group Ltd.
Published: Aug. 1, 2009 - 89 Pages
Table of Contents
- Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Executive Summary
- Sales decline rapidly as consumers become more frugal
- Population growth among kids aged 1-11 offsets some losses
- Case studies
- Insights and opportunities
- SpongeBob SquarePants and iCarly among the most popular characters
- Sesame Street viewed as good influence by most adults
- Most adults report that character merchandise is not a good value
- Adults most likely to report purchasing food and personal care products
- Fast food and t-shirts especially popular with parents
- Young adults more likely to report increased spending
- Most kids cite media as part of their favorite activities but feel school is important
- Character Merchandising Case Studies
- Case Study 1: Largest film franchise ever rolls out museum exhibit and theme park
- Harry Potter: The Exhibition
- Harry Potter: The Theme Park
- Case study 2: Fast food chains remain a prime target for licensing opportunities
- Self-regulation doesn’t work
- Case Study 3: Higher-end apparel tie-ins making waves
- SpongeBob gets precious with 12-carat diamond jewelry
- Disney and Warner Bros. wooing designer crowd
- Case Study 4: Video game tie-ins drive growth in a struggling category
- Electronic Arts tops 1 million units with Harry Potter
- Case Study 5: Mobile gaming tie-ins are heavy on film adaptations
- Market Size and Forecast
- Key points
- Retail sales and forecast of entertainment/character merchandise
- Sales and forecast
- Figure 1: Retail sales of licensed entertainment/character merchandise, at current prices, 2004-10
- Figure 2: Retail sales of licensed entertainment/character merchandise, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2004-10
- Segmentation and Distribution
- Key points
- Entertainment/character merchandise segments
- Figure 3: Retail sales of licensed entertainment/character merchandise, by product category, 2006 and 2008
- Distribution of licensed entertainment/character merchandise
- Figure 4: Distribution of licensed entertainment/character merchandise, by retailer type, U.S. and Canada, 2006 and 2008
- Competitive Context
- Agelessness trend increases threats from celebrities, sports and trademarks/brands
- Figure 5: Sales of licensed goods, by property types, 2006 and 2008
- Market Drivers
- Increasing number of children bodes well for market growth
- Figure 6: Population, by relevant age groups, 2004-14
- Minority populations key to market growth
- Figure 7: Population, by race and Hispanic origin, 2004-14
- Figure 8: Households, by presence of children—Hispanics vs. non-Hispanics, 2006
- Recession boosts movie admissions
- Figure 9: Sales of movie tickets at box office, 2004-14
- Rise of the Screenager: Online and gaming platforms beg customization, interaction
- Figure 10: Hours of filmed entertainment consumption per person per year, 2003-07
- Figure 11: Activision’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (video game) television ad, July 2009
- Figure 12: Hours of game play—kids, by age and age/gender, October 2007-December 2008
- Figure 13: Incidence of game play while connected to the web—kids/teens, by age and gender/age, October 2007-December 2008
- Most Popular Characters and Role Models
- Key points
- Kids’ favorite characters
- Figure 14: Hasbro’s Connect 4 SpongeBob SquarePants Edition television ad, July 2009
- Figure 15: Kids’ favorite characters/shows, by age, April 2009
- Characters viewed as good role models
- Figure 16: Cartoon and movie characters seen as good role models, by age, May 2009
- Cartoon characters designed for adults most likely to be seen as a bad influence on children
- Figure 17: Perceptions cartoon and movie characters as good role models or not appropriate for children, May 2009
- Attitudes Towards Character Merchandising
- Key points
- Products with characters not seen as good value
- Figure 18: Value perceptions of character merchandise, by age, May-June 2009
- Social influence does not drive sales among adults; many concerned about potentially negative impact in children
- Figure 19: Influence of character merchandise on purchasing behavior, by age, May-June 2009
- Characters lead to pestering
- Figure 20: Attitudes towards character merchandise; pester power, and childhood memories, by age, May-June 2009
- Ambivalence about using characters to educate children
- Figure 21: Attitudes towards using characters to educate kids, by age, May-June 2009
- Most parents, especially men, unsure about how characters motivate child’s behavior
- Figure 22: Influence of character merchandise on children’s product preferences, parents by gender, May-June 2009
- Impact of income on influence of characters on children’s product preferences
- Figure 23: Influence of character merchandise on children’s product preferences, by household income, May-June 2009
- Purchase of Character-linked Products
- Key points
- Food, clothing and personal care top the list
- Figure 24: Purchase of character-linked products, by type of product and nature of purchase, May-June 2009
- Products Parents Buy for Their Kids
- Key points
- Characters drive food purchases; moms generally more likely to be purchasers
- Figure 25: Character merchandise purchased for child/children in the last 12 months, by gender, May-June 2009
- Lower-income households more likely to buy character merchandise
- Figure 26: Character merchandise purchased for child/children in the last 12 months, by household income, May-June 2009
- How Parental Attitudes are Evolving in Recession
- Key points
- About one in three report buying fewer character products than last year but nearly half are buying the same amount
- Figure 27: Purchase of character merchandise relative to last year, by age of parent, May-June 2009
- Children’s Attitudes Toward Media, School, Friends and Self
- Key points
- Television is a favorite pastime of most respondents under 12
- Figure 28: Kids’ attitudes towards TV, movies and video games, by gender and age, October 2007-December 2008
- Most enjoy school and think academic work is important
- Figure 29: Children’s attitudes towards school, by gender and age, October 2007-December 2008
- Most kids report being quite social; demand for social networking likely to continue growing as kids become teens and adults
- Figure 30: Children’s attitudes towards friends, by gender and age, October 2007-December 2008
- Most feel confident, curious and distinct from parents
- Figure 31: Children’s personal preferences and attitudes about self, by gender and age, October 2007-December 2008
- The Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin
- Key points
- Child’s favorite cartoon or movie character
- Figure 32: Hannah Montana’s The Hannah Montona Light-up Dance Lounge television ad, July 2009
- Figure 33: Child’s favorite cartoon or movie character, by race/Hispanic origin, May-June 2009
- Character merchandise purchased in the last 12 months
- Figure 34: Character merchandise purchased in the last 12 months, by race/Hispanic origin, May-June 2009
- Appendix: Additional Consumer Tables
- Demographic comparisons of parents
- Figure 35: Use of character merchandise relative to last year, by gender, May-June 2009
- Figure 36: Influence of character merchandise on children’s preferences, by age, May-June 2009
- Figure 37: Influence of character merchandise on children’s preferences, by race/Hispanic origin, May-June 2009
- Figure 38: Perception of child’s favorite cartoon or movie character, by gender, May-June 2009
- Figure 39: Perception of child’s favorite cartoon or movie character, by age of parent, May-June 2009
- Figure 40: Perception of child’s favorite cartoon or movie character, by household income, May-June 2009
- Favorite programs of boys and girls aged 6-17
- Figure 41: Kids’ favorite characters/shows, by gender, April 2009
- Additional demographic comparisons of adults who are not parents
- Figure 42: Attitudes towards price and quality of character merchandise, by household income, May-June 2009
- Figure 43: Influence of character merchandise on purchasing behavior, by household income, May-June 2009
- Figure 44: Attitudes towards character merchandise, by household income, May-June 2009
- Figure 45: Attitudes towards price and quality of character merchandise, by race/ethnicity, May-June 2009
- Figure 46: Influence of character merchandise on purchasing behavior, by race/Hispanic origin, May-June 2009
- Figure 47: Attitudes towards character merchandise, by race/Hispanic origin, May-June 2009
- Figure 48: Good role models, by household income, May 2009
- Figure 49: Good role models, by race/Hispanic origin, May 2009
- Figure 50: Inappropriate role models, by age, May 2009
- Figure 51: Inappropriate role models, by household income, May 2009
- Figure 52: Inappropriate role models, by race/Hispanic origin, May 2009
- Figure 53: Classic characters, by age, May 2009
- Figure 54: Classic characters, by household income, May 2009
AbstractThere is little doubt that the recession is driving many parents—and even some kids—to be more frugal as they shop for back-to-school supplies and other goods. This is creating a context within which many parents are shopping more carefully than ever before as they search for exceptional value. As reported by The New York Times in August of 2009, back-to-school spending is expected to fall 3-4% in 2009, compared to a 1% increase in 2008. While parents continue to buy school supplies and new clothing to prepare for the coming year, it is also clear that many are using coupons, scouring the internet for sales and bargains and trading down from specialty retailers to less expensive options such as dollar stores and mass merchandisers. These are especially important facts to bear in mind when one considers, as explained in a subsequent section of this report, that 76% of adult respondents agreed that “products or foods with characters tend to be over-priced.”
Within this context of heightened price sensitivity it is important to create initiatives that engage customers in a manner that invites purchase as well as loyalty. Customization may be among the most effective ways of achieving these goals and is an approach especially appropriate for clothing retailers and manufacturers. The website TysToyBox.com, for instance, offers a service wherein parents (or kids) can choose the size, color and character on t-shirts (e.g., a blue, medium SpongeBob SquarePants shirt) and then customize it with the child’s name or other term. The site also offers competitive pricing and coupons.
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