New US study indicates preschoolers recognize brands

A recent US study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin and University of Michigan reveals that young children experience the same marketing pressures as young adults and, in fact, do understand advertising and branding concepts.

In the two-part study, published in Psychology & Marketing the researchers first assessed brand recognition levels in 38 children age three to five. Corporate logos, like Lego and Coca Cola, were presented to children and a series of questions including 'Have you seen this before?' and 'What types of things do they make?' were asked.

The children's recognition rates were as high as 92% for some of the brands. The most commonly recognized brand was McDonald's, followed by other fast food, soda and toy companies. And the study showed children use brand cues to determine what food products will be exciting or which toys will be the most enjoyable

KidsCo filming new promos in Malaysia

KidsCo, the international JV children's channel, is producing a series of promos set to run on its Asian feed this year.

The promos are being produced in conjunction with Astro Productions and will feature boys and girls of different cultures discussing their daily lives and will run between 10 and 15 seconds each.

Filming is scheduled to start in Kuala Lumpur on March 13.

The project will be carried out in the same style as KidsCo's UNICEF clips that encouraged children to think about the world that they live in.

New Zealand's WotWots land in Canada

New Zealand export The WotWots will make its Canadian debut on 24/7 preschool net Treehouse on Monday, February 22 at 6:15 p.m.

The 52 x 10-minute series from Weta Workshop is aimed at a preschool audience will air on the Canadian channel Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, and will have two showings on the weekend.

The series currently airs on TV2 and TVNC6 in New Zealand as well as ABC1 and ABC2 in Australia and during Channel 5's Milkshake preschool slot in the UK.

Kids and teens spending more time with entertainment media: study

Surprise, surprise, young people are devoting more of their time to daily entertainment media use, according to the results of the latest Kaiser Family Foundation's study on kids and media consumption.

Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year Olds found kids eight to 18 are spending an average of seven hours and 38 minutes using entertainment media in a typical day, amounting to more than 53 hours a week. That's an hour and 17 minutes more than they did five years ago (2004). And with all that media multitasking (using more than one medium at a time), they consume a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content into those 7.5 hours.

The increased media use has been largely helped along by ready access to mobile devices, i.e. cell phones and iPods, and ownership rates of these devices has skyrocketed over past five years in this demo, leaping from 39% to 66% for cell phones, and from 18% to 76% for iPods and other MP3 players.

As for TV, the study found for the first time over the course of the study that the amount of time spent watching regularly scheduled TV declined by 25 minutes a day (from 2004 to 2009). On the flip side, the new ways to watch TV - online, cell phones, iPods - fed an increase in overall TV consumption from 3:51 to 4:29 per day.

For more info on the study, visit http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia012010nr.cfm.

Kid industry execs back Cinekid

A number of high-profile kid industry execs have come together to join the steering committee of Amsterdam-based Cinekid's 2010 Junior Cross Media Market to focus on new trends.

Its seven-member committee includes Jeff Gomez, CEO at Starlight Runner Entertainment, Brenda Bisner, licensing director at Cookie Jar Entertainment, Andrew Kerr, executive director of consumer products & marketing international at Classic Media, Rebecca Denton, senior producer EMEA at Turner Broadcasting/Cartoon Network (UK), Alessandro Traverso, VP of commercial development at HIT Entertainment (UK), Lou Murrin-Honore,youth director at Turner Broadcasting/Cartoon Network (France), and Justine Bannister, head of international Sales at TV-Loonland (UK/France).

The market is part of Cinekid for Professionals, a four-day event held yearly in Amsterdam during October during the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam.

Kids' cell phone ownership skyrockets

Cell phone ownership among US children has increased 68% in the past five years, according to multimedia research firm, MRI's recently-released American Kids Study.

A full 20% of US children ages six to 11 currently own a cell phone, up from 11.9% of children in 2005. The most dramatic increase has been among 10- and 11-year-olds (+80.5%).

And in the past three years cell phone ownership among boys, in particular, has spiked, increasing 47.6% since 2007, compared with a 17.2% increase among girls over the same period of time. What are these cell-wielding children doing with their phones? Most use their phones for basic communication tasks, such as calling their parents (88.1%), calling friends (68.1%), emergency purposes (55.7%) and text messaging (54.1%).

According to MRI, this large increase in cell phone ownership, particularly among boys, comes as more wireless providers are targeting parents through feature-rich, kid friendly phones such as Disney Mobile's LG Phone and the Firefly Communications FlyPhone. The firm's preliminary data suggests that girls are more apt to make calls and send text messages, while boys are more likely to instant message, access the Internet and download games, music and video.

The 2009 American Kids Study included approximately 5,000 participants. In addition to surveying children in the household, MRI asked primary caregivers to fill out a separate questionnaire detailing the child's purchasing influence and activities.

E-Poll Market Research launches kids media ranking tool

L.A.-based E-Poll Market Research has introduced its E-Score Character tool that measures the awareness and appeal of characters in the US consumer market.

The Character tool offers a deeper look at the key drivers of appeal as measured across various media such as TV, video games, packaging, apparel and toys. Its database houses scores and rankings for hundreds of characters from Captain Kirk to Cap'n Crunch, with each receiving assessments of awareness, appeal and character attributes as well as measurements of character extendibility and affinity.

The company's family of products also includes E-Score Character Kids (for the six to 12 set) and E-Score Character Tots (ages two to five), which will be fielded monthly.

E-Poll will be on hand at KidScreen's Entertainment Marketing Exchange, taking place at the New York Hilton on February 9. For more info, check out http://www.kidscreen.com/exchange/2010/ or www.epollresearch.com.

Habbo offers new brand measurement tool

Want to know how often teens are talking about your brand? Sulake, operators of virtual world Habbo, has launched a measurement tool on the site called Habble that lets marketers track the conversations taking place about their brands in the online environment.

More than 155 million registered avatars controlled by users 19 and younger are part of the global Habbo community and Habble will enable marketers to measure brand names, slogans or key phrases used over a defined period. Data is updated daily, displayed and analyzed in a chart that maps activity peaks. The tool does not grant access to personal info of Habbo users, but monitors the level of brand mentions and then cross-references them with other measurement data.

KidScreen Summit conference agenda goes live

Looking to get the most out of KidScreen Summit in February? The conference agenda is now live at http://summit.kidscreen.com/2010/agenda.html. Read on to check out some of the highlights.

Along with Sir Ken Robinson's keynote address and Jeff Gomez chatting about navigating the transmedia universe, trade org PromaxBDA will be on hand to moderate "Media Makeovers: Adventures in Channel Branding," which will take delegates behind the scenes of Nickelodeon's rebrand, Disney XD's launch and Cartoon Network's move to age up and embrace live action.

Also on deck is "The Big-Screen Frontier: Exploring New Models in Animated Moviemaking," which will take a look at the new model of making low-cost, high-return animated features.

KidScreen Summit takes place in New York from February 10-12, 2010. For more information, check out http://summit.kidscreen.com.

Nickelodeon research digs into family dynamics

The Family GPS, the latest study from Nickelodeon conducted in partnership with Harris Interactive, looks at new cultural attitudes, technology and how the economic climate is changing American families. Read on for the highlights.

The study found a full 76% of parents of kids two to 21 years old say they feel extremely close to their children today, while only 25% of grandparents reported that they felt close to their children. But first-time grandparents - who are an average age of 48 - have a central role in day-to-day family life, with 61% of parents who have kids ages two to 17 noting that grandparents assist in raising their kids.

Parents and kids are also spending more time together in front of various media. For example, the report finds that 36% of families are playing games together regularly.

On the economic side of things, 49% of parents say it's very important to raise daughters to be good with money, while 31% emphasize the same for their sons. With regards to the economy, 85% of kids ages 13 to 21 say the economic crisis has had an impact on them, and 51% of parents of kids ages eight to 21 years old are now talking to their kids more about the importance of saving money.

For more information, check out www.harrisinteractive.com.

Digital Media keynote announced for KidScreen Summit

Jeff Gomez, the strategist behind the cross-platform efforts for Hot Wheels and Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, will be sharing insight into how to turn IPs into lucrative transmedia franchises at the 11th edition of KidScreen Summit.

The president and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment conceived, co-wrote and produced Mattel's Hot Wheels comic books, video games, web content and animated series, and has worked on a number of other franchises, including Disney's Fairies, Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia and Tron, and Transformers for Hasbro.

Rounding out the Digital Media lineup are sessions on Getting into the Digital Game: Six Steps to Get You Going, Bypassing TV: An Exploration of Direct-to-Kid Launch Strategies and Tech Talk presentations on the latest technology buzz, including augmented reality, 3-D TV and iPhone apps.

KidScreen Summit 2010 is invading the New York Hilton in Manhattan once again from February 10 to 12. For more information, check out www.summit.kidscreen.com.

KidScreen Summit contest announced

Looking to get more out of your upcoming visit to KidScreen Summit in February?

If you think you deserve an extra 30 Minutes With session, here's your chance to score one. Tell us why you deserve it on Twitter and you could win access to these popular sessions.

Just include the URL bit.ly/kidscreen10 in your tweet and complete this sentence:

I deserve an extra 30 Minutes With at #kidscreen10 because...

There will be a draw every Friday starting November 5 until the event start date, and a winner will be selected from all the tweets each week. And yes, you can enter more than once.

The 30 Minutes With sessions feature a number of key execs from the kids broadcast world talking about their future plans and priorities, and a new feature this year will also see leaders in toys, publishing and video games who invest in TV properties.

For more information, and to check out which execs are already on board, visit http://summit.kidscreen.com/2010/twitter/

Two new sessions available at KidScreen Summit

KidScreen Summit may not be until February, but planning has been in full swing and two new high-profile sessions have been announced for the event.

The Magic Behind Pixar's Magic is back by popular demand this year, as screenwriting expert David Freeman deconstructs a dozen of Pixar's cinematic moments, identifying storytelling elements and techniques used to evoke emotion.

Meanwhile, VP of consumer insights at Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group Jane Gould will be on hand to lead Gender-Neutral: What it Really Means. This session will kick off the Summit's Kid Insights track, breaking down how kids three to 17 are responding to gender roles and stereotypes in the programming they watch.

KidScreen Summit will be held from February 10-12 in New York. For more info, check out www.kidscreensummit.com.

People moves: Nick Consumer Insights promotes veep

Andrea Strauss is stepping up from her position as senior director of Nickelodeon Consumer Insights to VP of the division.

She'll continue serving as the in-house expert on the lifestyles and attitudes of kids, teens, young adults and their parents for all of Nickelodeon's brands, as well as completing brand assessments for consumer products and recreation.

Prior to joining the Nick gang, she served as a senior consumer analyst at Grey Advertising and manager of advertising research at Norman Hecht Research.

Women in Children's Media launches music discussion

Members and non-members of Women in Children's Media are invited to attend Behind the (Children's) Music, a discussion with the industry's top talent taking place next month in Manhattan.

On Thursday, September 17, the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center will host panelists, including children's music artist, Laurie Berkner, Jeffrey Lesser, the musical director for Little Airplane, and Liz Nealon, GM for KidzBop. Mindy Thomas from satellite radio's The Absolutely Mindy Show will moderate as panelists share insight and perspectives on their work, discussing trends and challenges and how to find and create good kids music.

To register or get for more info, go to www.womeninchildrensmedia.org.

Kids talk brands and advertising with Nick

We've got another Kaleidoscope video segment ready from the Brand and Consumer Insights Department at Nickelodeon Kids & Family. This time the Kaleidoscope team is asking kids and teens about brand awareness.

Check out the reel here.

PBS Kids touts educational top spot with parents

A national Roper survey that looked at how US adults over 18 view PBS Kids has found that it's emerged as the most educational media brand.

Survey participants also agreed that, when compared to cable and commercial broadcast, PBS leads the industry in helping kids realize their potential and readying them for success in school and in life, bringing important topics to young viewers.

80% of respondents ranked reading and literacy as the pubcaster's best topic, followed by the arts (75%), science/technology/engineering/math (74%), social/emotional development (74%), healthy living (73%), and the environment (71%).

73% also agreed that PBS serves all children, regardless of their circumstances, with another 73% of respondents noting that the net provides "a trusted and safe place for children to watch television," with 70% saying that PBS serves as a "safe haven for children."

Series-based research has also shown that the pubcaster's preschool and early elementary school content also helps kids succeed in core curriculum areas. A recent study from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, for example, found that all kids who watched Super Why! scored 46% higher on standardized tests than those who did not watch the series.

Disney intros Friends for Change: Project Green

Looking to get kids help out the planet, the House of Mouse has launched a multi-platform environmental initiative called Disney's Friends for Change: Project Green.

Familiar Disney faces like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato are a few names among the many who are participating in outreach messages that are slated to debut on Disney Channel, Disney XD, Radio Disney and on Disney.com.

The initiative invites kids to band together and help the environment across four areas: climate, water, waste and habitats. Participants can learn practical ways to preserve the planet, track the impact and they'll also get the chance to vote on how US$1 million in donations from Disney will be divided and invested in various environmental causes over a year.

Disney Channel and Radio Disney will begin broadcasting the on-air messages starting on Friday, May 15, encouraging kids to join them in registering and pledging environmental stewardship, along with making small changes in their daily lives that can have a positive impact on the world.

Kids logon at Disney.com where they can commit to take everyday actions--turning off the lights, switching to reusable water bottles - and can invite friends to join, interact and as their collective impact on the planet is tracked and their votes determine the distribution of charitable contributions.

Leapfrog builds family reading campaign on the heels of Harris research

With a whopping 98% of parents agreeing that reading to children from a young age is very important, Leapfrog is jumping into a new initiative to inspire parents, teachers and kids to collectively read one million hours during March to celebrate National Reading Month.

Leapfrog recently commissioned a Reading to Children online survey from Harris Interactive, and the results have revealed that even though 83% of parents say they read to their children daily (spending an average of 32 minutes), 72% wish they could devote even more of their day to this type of together time. It shouldn't be that difficult, given that the same surveyed parents spend an average of 209 minutes surfing the web and watching TV each day.

To commemorate National Reading Month, Leapfrog's dedicated website at www.leapfrog.com/readingmonth will feature online resources to help foster more family reading, along with product discounts and coupons. In cahoots with Scholastic, the company is also unveiling a Love of Reading Sweepstakes offering a chance to win a Tag Reading System and 10 Tag books.

When the goal of one million hours is reached, LeapFrog will donate US$50,000 worth of its Ready, Set, Leap! Pre-K products to the Books for Kids Foundation, which promotes literacy among children, particularly preschoolers living in lower-income households.

What not to wear, part 2: Kids and teens dish on brands & style

In the follow-up to January's Kaleidoscope report, from the Brand and Consumer Insights Department at Nickelodeon Kids & Family, the research team delves into the role that brands play in kids lives and examining their POV on creating personal style. It's up exclusively on KidScreen.com in video and PDF format, so check it out there or read the full report in KidScreen's Feb/March issue here.