Cool For Kids - What Makes A Brand "Down With The Kids"?; Nickelodeon UK Given A 21% Supercool Rating

From Marketing Week:

Cool for kids

What makes a brand down with the kids? Not only must it be design-led but also offer a fun and social experience, according to a survey seen exclusively by Marketing Week.

Children may be technologically advanced and marketing savvy, but research into what makes a brand cool reveals eight to 14-year-olds still want to have fun.

And design-led brands that also offer a social experience stand a far better chance of achieving supercool status because the amount of content that tweens consume on a daily basis means brands need to add something to be more interactive, according to research carried out by The Pineapple Lounge. The report, seen exclusively by Marketing Week, also warns brands to consider this as a long-term strategy because young people will grow up and expect this sort of interaction in adulthood.

This demographic, known as Generation D, clearly has an affinity with technology brands. The research identified 20 spontaneously cool brands from a sample size of 200 mentioned overall by respondents. Apple tops the list, followed by Playstation 3, Xbox 360, YouTube and BlackBerry.

Moshi Monsters: Deliver a fun and social brand experience

Although it is clearly an advantage to be a technology brand, to be seen as cool among Generation D it is crucial to offer a positive social experience, according to Emma Worrollo, founder of The Pineapple Lounge.

“Kids in the UK don’t have a good public image, but this generation is amazing at creating content and they’re able to make informed decisions with information at their fingertips. If you show a positive representation of youth, anything will combat that hoodie image,” she says.

The drivers of cool identified by the study fall into the categories of design and creativity, innovation and uniqueness.

Design was by far the most significant cool element from the research. Generation D grow up interacting with touchscreens and innovative games consoles and they have high expectations about functionality and design that eclipses that of previous generations at this age. The research found that if a brand has high production values, attention to detail and innovative packaging, it is more than twice as likely to be rated as a supercool brand.

“HTC came sixth on the top 20 spontaneously cool brands, just beating Apple on the design element. It would help HTC to look at this, jump on it and own it,” Worrollo claims.

While this group of consumers is looking for brands to create a paradigm shift, they are not looking for out and out rebellion. Clearly, it is important for brands to stand out and innovate but it’s not necessary for them to break the mould every time. The way this group wants to stand out and feel unique is different to adults. Safe individuality appeals where this age group can stand out from the safety of their tribe.

“Standing out and being unique sounds obvious but it's interesting to note that Generation D does not like brands that jump on the bandwagon. They are very critical of me-too products. They can’t be duped and are looking for brands that have an opinion,” Worrollo warns.

Injecting humour is also likely to make a brand supercool, with products able to make young consumers laugh 60% more likely to achieve this status. “There’s a temptation for brands that appeal to tweens to make themselves super-aspirational, but that can alienate a young audience if you don’t have a bit of colour and fun along the way,” says Worrollo.

The Pineapple Lounge applied its supercool formula to the CBBC television brand as well as Nickelodeon. Both have a 21% supercool rating and are brands that stand out for making that age group laugh (see above).

While analysing the drivers of cool identified by The Pineapple Lounge is useful to identify areas where a brand might improve its standing among its key demographic, it is not a silver bullet to transform a brand overnight. Worrollo warns: “Cool is a difficult thing for brands to get a hold of. There is never one single thing that drives cool.”

[The top 20 spontaneously cool brands

1. Apple
2. Sony PS3 Playstation 3
3. Microsoft Xbox 360
4. YouTube
5. RIM Blackberry
6. Nintendo Wii
7. HTC
8. Nike [Nike Tick logo]
9. Moshi Monsters
10. Lego
11. Adidas
12. Facebook
13. Coca Cola
14. McDonald's
15. Google
16. Cadbury
17. Disney
18. Nickelodeon
19. CBBC (BBC)
20 CN - Cartoon Network]

Methodology

The research surveyed 1,000 children aged between eight and 14 years old online, measuring defining cool words and sourcing spontaneous cool brands. A further online survey of 600 children of the same age used statistical modelling to create a cool formula and cool calculator.

Ranking order of supercool brand drivers

1 Has sleek, neat designs
2 Stands out
3 Is unique
4 Makes me laugh
5 Does new stuff all the time
6 Is creative
7 Gives me choices
8 Has a positive attitude

Five key words that define cool brand traits:

Design
Genuine
Authenticity
Attitude
Individual

The frontline

We ask marketers on the frontline whether our ‘trends’ research matches their experience on the ground

Michael Holland
Head of marketing
Legoland

I would agree that it’s important to incorporate all the key elements set out in the research. From a design perspective we’re only as good as the Lego product so we work closely with Lego’s in-house design team, creating branding collateral with the in-house marketing team to reflect what they’re doing. A lot of the activity seen around Legoland should reflect that as much as possible.

A lot of what we do is about being current and up to date, from the Star Wars miniland that opened at the beginning of the season to the video content.

For the launch of the Legoland hotel, we ran a campaign at the start of the season on Facebook. We had a team of people on site with iPads for the Star Wars weekend event and everyone registering at the hotel that weekend was offered a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip linked to the Facebook account. They could then tour the park, checking in at various attractions or having their photo with Chewbacca instantly posted to their wall.

It was a sample group of only 500 people that weekend but the amplification was such that it spread across tens of thousands of mentions and views. It’s something we think is really worth looking into on a bigger basis in the future. But whatever activity we create has to work on many levels from toddlers to teens.

Stuart Grant
Buying director
The Entertainer (toy retailer)

A lot of buying decisions are made on what the brand’s exposure will be in terms of TV advertising. Cool is good but very rarely will something take off without any massive TV campaign within the toy arena. Kids are driven by what they’re told to buy. Peer influence is huge when it comes to getting critical mass.

Toys rarely reinvent the wheel. The current craze with Moshi Monsters and the swappable plastic figurines takes you back to the days of football stickers. But the sharing element is very important and the sea change here has been the influence of the website. Prior to Moshi Monsters, there wasn’t a website that drove a brand. It wouldn’t have happened five years ago. Gogos may not have had the web presence but achieved desirability by seeding within the market, giving them away to select kids to create exclusivity then teasing on magazine covermounts. But again this wouldn’t happen without a TV campaign.

The sharing element is very important and where Moshi has succeeded is in providing kids with a safe online environment where they can interact. Kids play games against one another and share what they’ve achieved. That extension of bragging rights is so important in the playground.

Ed Relf
Chief marketing and commercial officer
Mind Candy (Moshi Monsters)

With Moshi Monsters, we aimed to design a unique, sleek, humorous but most importantly fun and social brand experience. Similar to the way Pixar approaches its movie franchises, our ethos is to create fun and compelling content that appeals to boys, girls and parents. We are careful to not patronise our audience, so we develop edgy and aspirational content that is both clever and intertwined with a story to build a living, breathing brand that grows with our audiences around the world.

Due to the social nature of the Moshi Monsters online game, we have a proactive, ongoing dialogue with the game’s 65 million-plus registered users, who give us daily feedback on the continuing development of the game and brand. Using the virtual world as the digital heartbeat of the brand allows us to develop the game and all connected extensions of the Moshi brand with a unique vision and approach to ensure we are delivering content that we know resonates with our players around the world.

There’s no science in achieving “cool”. That said, there is a science in developing content that is fun, compelling and most importantly social. Harnessing the power of social behaviours means that good game content mixed with rich compelling story can become viral very easily. The virality of Moshi Monsters is something that has inspired children from around the world to play and engage with both the game and wider brand and we think this ensures the product has always remained both fresh and new.

We’ve grown the game exponentially over the past three years in more than 150 countries globally and still growing at a pace of one new user per second. A major driver of this incredible growth is agonising over the quality of the product and harnessing the virality through safe social features. It’s a careful balance between growth and saturation. We are careful not to over-saturate as your product can quickly become uncool.

Nick Jr. UK And eOne Family's Preschool Animated Series "Peppa Pig" Picked Up By Disney Junior Spain And Disney Junior Italy

From Animation Insider:

TV Animation Sales 2012 (June)

TV Animation News: Global Sales Update

The following article spotlights a few news items regarding TV animation sales announced during June 2012. Nickelodeon's revival of sewer-dwelling ninja reptiles are already earning international sales (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Ankama's flexible MMORPG-based adventures move to Cartoon Network (Wakfu), and a pair of preschool items about everyday piglets find new homes as well (Wibbly Pig, Peppa Pig).

[...]

Peppa Pig, guided to new territories by way of eOne Family (London, England), has been acquired by Disney Junior for Spain and Italy. The animated series already has audiences' attention with broadcasts on RTVE (Spain) and RAI (Italy), but the new additions certainly won't hurt. Merchandise plans for Spain and Italy are likewise charging up this year and next for everything from apparel and publishing agreements to home video distribution.

Nickelodeon USA Announces Plans To Premiere Four Brand New Episodes Of "SpongeBob SquarePants" In "The Super Spongy Square Games" One-Hour Television Event"

Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from Nickelodeon USA's "Nickelodeon Kids And Family" press website, NickPress.com:

NICKELODEON DEBUTS FOUR BRAND-NEW EPISODES OF SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IN "THE SUPER SPONGY SQUARE GAMES" ONE-HOUR TELEVISION EVENT

Celebrity Guest Johnny Knoxville Voices Johnny Krill in the premiere of "Extreme Spots" Saturday, July 21, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT)

New York, New York – July 2, 2012 – SpongeBob's hilarious escapades and nautical adventures continue with the premiere of four brand-new episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants on Saturday, July 21, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. "The Super Spongy Square Games" one-hour television event includes "Extreme Spots," starring celebrity voiceover guest Johnny Knoxville (MTV's Jackass) as Johnny Krill, "Squirrel Record," "Demolition Doofus" and "Face Freeze." Viewers can satisfy their SpongeBob SquarePants appetites by tuning into the 12-hour marathon beginning at 9:00 a.m. (ET/PT).

During "Extreme Spots," Knoxville lends his voice for Johnny Krill, a member of The Drasticals extreme sports team. When The Drasticals come to town, their new super fans, SpongeBob and Patrick, try to do whatever it takes to join them, no matter how extreme – or dangerous. Whether attempting sand motor biking, hang gliding, seashell surfing or extreme bubble blowing, SpongeBob and Patrick undertake the challenge in an effort to demonstrate they’re extreme.

Next in "Squirrel Record," Sandy is determined to break a record number of world records, in record time, so SpongeBob joins her for an action-packed weekend of dangerous record setting! World's longest tooth, spiciest chili gargle and most chainsaws juggled are among the records Sandy is aiming to beat.

In "Demolition Doofus," Mrs. Puff enters SpongeBob into the Demolition Derby, where his bad driving makes him a star, and SpongeBob and Patrick bet who can hold a “funny face” the longest – until their faces freeze that way during “Face Freeze.”

Viewers can logon to SpongeBob.com to play all new games including a brand new Olympic-Themed, Tournament Style ClubHouse, "Bikini Bottom Games." Quizzes, photos, videos, and additional content will provide users with a complete interactive experience. The full "Extreme Spots" episode will be available on iTunes the day following the premiere.

Since its launch in July 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has emerged as a pop culture phenomenon. The series has been the number-one animated program with kids 2-11 for more than 12 consecutive years on Nickelodeon; and over the past several years, it has averaged more than 100 million total viewers every quarter across all Nickelodeon networks.

SpongeBob SquarePants is executive produced by creator Stephen Hillenburg, who previously worked as a writer, director and creative director on Nickelodeon's animated series Rocko's Modern Life.

Hillenburg graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a master's degree in experimental animation and studied marine biology and art as an undergraduate.

Paul Tibbitt served as a director and writer on SpongeBob SquarePants for its first three seasons and is currently executive producer. He wrote some of the show's most memorable episodes such as "Ripped Pants" and "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy." Tibbitt was one of the co-writers and storyboard artists on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. SpongeBob SquarePants is a Nicktoons Production and is produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.

Nickelodeon, now in its 33rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

For downloadable photos and additional information visit: www.nickpress.com.

###

Media Contacts:

Katelyn Balach
Nickelodeon/ NY
212-846-6283
Katelyn.Balach@Nick.com

Wendy Zocks
Nickelodeon/LA
310-752-8256
Wendy.Zocks@viacommix.com.

Teri Weiss Named Executive Vice President For Production And Development At Nickelodeon Preschool

Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from Nickelodeon USA's "Nickelodeon Kids And Family" press website, NickPress.com:

TERI WEISS NAMED EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT, NICKELODEON PRESCHOOL

NEW YORK– July 2, 2012 – Teri Weiss has been named Executive Vice President, Production and Development, Nickelodeon Preschool, it was announced today by Cyma Zarghami, President, Viacom's Nickelodeon Group. In her expanded role, Weiss will report to Zarghami and will spearhead the creation and production of all original content for Nickelodeon Preschool on the morning programming block as well as the Nick Jr. channel. Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. currently rank as the top two networks,
respectively, with kids 2-5 across all TV.

"Teri has been instrumental in making Nickelodeon’s signature preschool content the highest quality, featuring the most beloved characters with a legitimate curriculum for today's 2-5 year olds," Zarghami said. “Our entire preschool team is unrivaled in its passion, commitment and creativity for this important audience. They have created a 30 year legacy in making gold-standard programming for them that will continue under Teri's leadership.”

Weiss, who joined Nickelodeon in 1999, has been instrumental in solidifying the network's leadership position within the preschool television landscape. Most recently, she's served as Senior Vice President of Production & Development, Nickelodeon Preschool under the leadership of Brown Johnson, who is now Nickelodeon's President of Animation. In that role Weiss helped develop many of Nickelodeon's hit
preschool properties including, the top-ranked Team Umizoomi and Bubble Guppies, as well as The Fresh Beat Band, Go Diego, Go!, The Wonder Pets!, Ni Hao, Kai-lan and Olivia, among others. Weiss currently oversees all current series including the groundbreaking, global phenomenon Dora the Explorer, Max and Ruby, Yo Gabba, Gabba!, Mike the Knight and Franklin & Friends. Prior to that, she was Vice President, Production and Development for Nick Jr.

Weiss began her career in television at HBO's Comedy Channel working on Rich Hall's Onion World, Alan Havey's Night After Night and the sports comedy series, Sports Monster. Later she worked on several children's series, including Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and Square One TV. Before joining Nickelodeon, she was a producer at Sesame Street, where she commissioned animation and films, served as an associate director, and produced three original title home videos. She has received two Emmy Awards® for her work at Sesame Street. During her tenure, preschool series at Nickelodeon have garnered 12 Daytime Emmy awards, 53 Daytime Emmy nominations and three Peabody Awards.

Weiss graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies. She resides with her family in New York City.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 33rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million
households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

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Contacts:

Heather Brown
212.846.6240
Heather.Brown@nick.com

Thamar Romero
212.846.7491
thamar.romero@nick.com.

Also, from Kidscreen:

Teri Weiss promoted at Nick

Long-time Nickelodeon programming exec Teri Weiss has been promoted to EVP of production and development for Nickelodeon Preschool.

Weiss, who joined Nickelodeon in 1999 and was most recently Nickelodeon Preschool’s SVP of production and development, will report to Viacom’s Nickelodeon Group President Cyma Zarghami.

In her new expanded role, she will be charged with executing the creation and production of all original content for Nickelodeon Preschool’s morning programming block as well as Nick Jr.

During her time as SVP of production and development under Brown Johnson, Weiss helped develop numerous hit Nick preschool series including Team Umizoomi, Bubble Guppies, The Fresh Beat Band, Go Diego, Go!, The Wonder Pets!, Ni Hao, Kai-lan and Olivia.

She currently oversees all current series including Dora the Explorer, Max and Ruby, Yo Gabba, Gabba!, Mike the Knight and Franklin & Friends.

Prior to her role as SVP of production and development, she was VP of production and development for Nick Jr. Before joining Nickelodeon, Weiss was a producer at Sesame Street.

Tags: Cyma Zarghami, Dora the Explorer, Gabba!, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon Preschool, Teri Weiss, Yo Gabba

Also, from Variety via the Chicago Tribune:

Insiders: Exec shuffles

Teri Weiss is exec veep of production and development at Nickelodeon Preschool. Weiss, who joined the net in 1999, will focus on all production and programming of original content for Nickelodeon Preschool's morning block and the Nick Jr. channel.

Nickelodeon UK Unveils The Fourth "Camp Orange" 2012 Team - The "Noisy Ninjas"

To celebrate Nickelodeon UK starting to premiere and show the second series of "Camp Orange UK", Nickelodeon's adventure reality show for best friends, "Camp Orange 2012", this summer on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK (reportedly from Thursday 16th August 2012) as part of "Summer on Nickelodeon 2012", Nickelodeon UK have begun airing a series of "Camp Orange 2012" Nickelodeon Shorts (vignettes) which have been unveiling and giving Nickelodeon UK viewers and "Camp Orange" fans a first look at the children selected to be contestants on the second season of "Camp Orange UK", along with announcing their "Camp Orange" teams' "Camp Orange" team names.

The fourth episode of Nickelodeon UK's brand new "You Are Coming With Us To Camp Orange" Nickelodeon UK short series features Nickelodeon UK and Ireland presenters Anna Williamson and Jamie Rickers popping in at one of the contestants' homes to surprise two best friends called Zach and Chris. While visiting the two boy team, Jamie & Anna confirm with them that they were put on Nickelodeon UK's "Camp Orange 2012" shortlist, and made it down to the final 20 teams. Jamie & Anna then have to deliver the sad news that they are no longer on the shortlist to be contestants on "Camp Orange" UK 2012, and then giving them the exciting news that they "Are Coming With Us To Camp Orange" to be campers on "Camp Orange" 2012, and will be competing in "Camp Orange 2012" with the "Camp Orange" team name the "Noisy Ninjas":