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Photo By Ankita | @ Instagram | ankita.mamodia In trying times like what we are going through amidst Covid 19, one of
the most important customer segments for Brands have been children who also
happen to be born with digital skills considering their ability to manoeuvre
and learn much faster than what an adult would do. If we thought that these
were trying times just for us, then we are just living in a fictional world since
the young kids aka young lockdown generation are equally under stress as they
have been deprived of playing out with their neighbours, friends or for that
matter travel both local or to other places in their much-awaited summer
holidays. Through this sacrifice, they have become an inspiration to their own
family members. Parents have found it really challenging to deal with children
in such trying times. What has been really appealing is the maturity being
exhibited by the kids to understand and respect the current situation. Brands who are always actively monitoring changing consumer behaviours
have not left any stones unturned to engage and support parents who have had
their own struggling stories both personally and professionally in the aftermath of the current pandemic. Let’s understand what has been the challenge
that has been on the parents’ plate before we move on to understand the role
that Brands can play or have been playing in supporting them... Parents have been feeling the heat of managing the kids not because they
don’t know the activities which are involved in parenting but the current situation which has brought unanticipated change. There are some obvious
questions which most parents and especially nuclear families have been
surrounded by...
Brands that have considered the above challenges in their own domain and area of expertise and are trying to address the emerging needs of both parents and children are going to easily thrive in times ahead. Let’s look at some of the aspects : Newer outlook for young kids : There always used to be routine activities that the
kids were accustomed to however these trying times have made the young minds try on activities that they have never indulged in the past. This has led to
the young creative brains not only thinking, but also being innovative. The
activity could be as simple as painting, drawing, playing with several Do It Yourself (DIY) toys, playing with puzzles, learning dance or music, participating in a variety
of competitions being run online by brands, amongst many others. Such
activities give the parents a lot of hope when their morale is highly
fluctuating. A quick example here can be the #Chakmak initiative jointly
driven by #Unicef and the State of #Chhattisgarh and this can be accessed
at https://www.unicef.org/india/stories/chakmak-keeps-children-learning-and-engaged-during-covid-19-pandemic Kids are the source of Positive Energy : They are the fastest to adapt to this global pandemic and through the variety of activities that they are engaging in, they are truly spreading immense positivity in their homes thereby making their parents do the same. Every kid is different and they also learn in different ways and thus brands need to explore a variety of routes to engage with them. There are a lot of brands that have launched exclusive campaigns targeting these young digital natives who in turn become Mini-Influencers to their parents to drive hygiene as well as to be safe at home. A quick example here can be the Dettol #Covid19 targeted campaign which can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjD54AjWoGI Kids make powerful stories : The stories being created at homes are truly powerful since they are authentic and score high on reliability. Unlike the pre-lockdown times, when accessibility to parents was largely limited to weekends, this period brought them together for several weeks in a row. Young children always have great observation skills and the examples which they see in the family get replicated by them in numerous ways. Nothing can beat this form of learning since it would stick with them for life. One of the finest examples is for a family to drive home the lesson of converting a crisis like this into an opportunity. A quick example here can be the #IndiaCraftingMemories initiative jointly driven by # Fevicreate, a platform by @Pidilite Industries Limited and # Momspresso and this can be accessed at Role of Social Media : We have all known the pros and cons of social media, however, over the last 60+ days, social media has really come into play with innumerable no. of productive activities which kids could participate in, and the majority of them at no cost. Through this support, parents have been in a position to manage the productivity of their children and have a healthy balance between activities and screen time. The power just doesn’t end here since parents have also used these mediums to imbibe the right values amongst the young ones. Several cultural and religious stories available on @YouTube have been instrumental in this direction. The role played by platforms like #Whatsapp #Youtube #YouTubeKids #Instagram & #Tiktok has been instrumental in a variety of ways. Power of Over-the-top(OTT) platforms : If we thought that OTT was just another form of viewing Media, we might have to correct ourselves since it has become a very powerful tool of knowledge sharing with documentaries and numerous kinds of stories that truly helps in building on the knowledge level of the young minds. The no. of OTT platforms focusing on kids centric need has just been on the rise. The re-telecast of #Ramayana and #Mahabharata has achieved unimaginable milestones since it fulfilled the need to inculcate family needs. The likes of # Cartoon Network #Disney #Zee5Kids #VootKids have been highly active in this period to cater to their dedicated audience in this period. Role of Technology : In the aftermath of the pandemic, the role of technology has only
increased and has now become ubiquitous. The need is for parents to engage with
the children and start embracing technology. Similar is going to be the role
also of Brands who might have to find different ways to participate with the
parents to effectively add value in the growth of the children. A quick example
here can be the presence of #Zoom #GoogleMeet which has been instrumental in
the transfer of learning for the young ones. In a way, they resembled as the
‘New School’ for the children and their active participation was quite
instrumental in the learning curve for teachers, parents, and children. In summary, this too shall pass is what the global slogan has been for this historic phase however let this not pass between us and our children just like that. It's the perfect time to recreate historic family moments and assist our kids to develop resilience skills that last forever. There are a lot of Brands who have been playing their role in this journey…are you as parents doing that too? |
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