Characters on Packaging = Better Product?

May 25, 2011 at 11:26 am by Ted Mininni

As parents we all know that kids’ favorite characters make them want to have some products over others. And we all know about the “nag factor”, too.

As my design consultancy works with licensed properties, a recent Parent Dish blog post caught my eye on this topic.

The gist: a recently published study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that a small sampling of kids, aged 4-6, showed a taste preference for sugary cereals if their favorite characters appeared on the packaging. However, characters on cereal boxes that looked and sounded “healthier” didn’t seem to affect the taste for the better. 80 children were surveyed in this study.

Since young children can’t read and slightly older ones in this group only read moderately well, their favorite licensed characters make package and product more memorable and more desirable. Marketers know that and leverage it well.

There’s no doubt that kids enjoy a cereal more if their favorite characters appear on the packaging. No doubt that it makes the product taste better. But here’s the thing: parents, pediatricians and our culture in general, are moving steadfastly in the direction of better nutrition for our children. Cutting down on sugar is a priority to many. Knowing that and seeing venerable heritage cereal brands like Cap’n Crunch going into retirement due to the trend, ought to give us all pause.

Licensing characters to brands that parents and healthcare providers can endorse is going to become more and more important for licensor and licensee. As food and beverage companies across the board cut down on sugar, salt, unhealthy fats, preservatives, artificial colors and flavors – all due to public pressure – children will not be developing a taste for these things at an early age in the near future.

New alignments between licensed and consumer brands that are perceived as healthier are going to be big winners – and not too far down the road.

Questions:

Which brands featuring licensed characters do you endorse for your kids?
Do you sometimes let your kids have some brands like sugary cereals that might be “less healthy” and balance that with healthier choices in other categories?
How much does it matter to you to have licensors align themselves with healthier choices for your children?

Choose a category

Characters on Packaging = Better Product?

May 25, 2011 at 11:26 am by Ted Mininni

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