What do the kids of today want ?

As mother to a pre-teen, metropolitan, elitist, semi-spoilt brat it’s pretty clear.

The latest game CD’s ( both for PC and PSP aka Play-station Portable ), Nike soccer jerseys, Mall shopping sprees, Gatorade, safari holidays in Africa ( Disneyworld ? What’s that ? ) , a personal mobile phone, notebook PC's, birthday bashes at farmhouses with girls coming in for an “evening dance party”……

A lot of these are a function of the super-informative age and the one-upmanship scenario that we live in. Where the world has shrunk in to reside on our idiot boxes or PC’s. And kids selectively pick out this kind of information and take it in like super-absorbent sponges. Retain it all, too.

Given the nature and level of information flows, research in the West has shown , that the average sleeping times of babies have gone down considerably due to the level and quality of stimuli that they are exposed to.

That doesn’t make it any easier. In fact, we all know how tough it is to get and hold the attention of these guys for more than a brief length of time.

So. How does one harness the power of information to kids about a brand and make moolah out of it ? Time and time again ?

This example comes to mind.

One where a brand has a unique offering, at least in the Indian context. Obviously the quality and presentation has more than exceeded consumer expectations.
A presence in strategic locations in a few malls is enough. Word has spread like wild-fire.
( Oh yes, pundits call it “buzz”, “WOM”, “viral marketing” and suchlike ) amongst son’s peer group.

On two successive weekends my son dragged me to different malls in an effort to find the store. There was no advertising whatsoever to go by. No one had the exact location, only vague directions to go to so-and-so mall and such-and-such floor and it was next to a particular store.

Once we located it, it was bliss. For the child at least. He was lost in his Paradise. A whole range of assorted candies were neatly arranged in rows of crystal clear containers. Stuff which we had read about in Enid Blyton books or seen in Archie comics as kids.

Dolly mixture, liquorice sticks, chocolate coated footballs, fudge, marshmallows, bulls eyes, humbugs and god knows what all else. In flavours from cola and mint to peach and grape. In shapes ranging from dentures to cola bottles to creepy crawlies.
We could mix and match an assortment of candies as we pleased with the large spatula there. Designed to pick up large helpings every time.
All priced at a flat rate of Rs. 60 per 100 grams. Works out equivalent or more than the most expensive “pista burfi” or dry fruits that one could pick up elsewhere.

You could pick up as much or as little as you wanted.
They were weighed, billed and packed in a food grade zip lock bag with colourful candy coloured streaks on it.
Mind you, the candies were still visible through it. Anyone carrying this sort of a bag would be instantly tagged as being a customer of “Candy Treats”. And in “that” stratospheric league of people who would go to such places.

And we keep going back there. Again and again. And I half-heartedly, semi-willingly shell out the moolah for over-priced candies that I know will cause tooth decay in the long run with dentists bills as a side benefit.

But this guy at Candy Treats has got his act down pat. He has created a tribe of regular, loyal ambassadors at no extra cost.

Google did it with g mail. Once upon a time a g mail invite was the most wannabe thing on Earth. They’ve been smart enough to keep it still by invitation only.

Smart. Very smart. Or did Mr. Candy Treat just get lucky, being the first in his business ? Was he in the right place at the right time ?

Makes me think. Where does he go from here ? Even the biggest cult brands (think i-pod, for instance ) need to innovate and move on in order to maintain and grow loyal consumers.

May be the answers could lie in low-cal or sugar free candy to attract health conscious adults ? Or even “naughty” candy ? These could be placed at pubs and restaurants. Customised candy in desired shapes ? Play-and-eat dough candy for babies ?

Or better still. Ask the kids what they want.

A confectionery company called Candico had a few years ago run a contest, where they had asked kids to write in with their suggestions as to what kind of candies they should manufacture. The best suggestions would be rewarded with the opportunity to become Brand Advisors and Tasters for the company. Imagine the hoard of information they would have managed to gather.
Strangely, though, I don’t seem to recall anything happening with that company and its products.

But for now, my drooling continues…...



p.s. - thank you sunil :))