Agony & Ecstasy of Childhood

A presentation on the millennium kid

by Aiyana Gunjan

20001

Today I take an opportunity to transport you into the world of kids - the 21st century kid.

Lets see how has their world changed for them what are their attitudes and behavior - how has parenting evolved in modern age India … what has been the impact of media explosion & technology advancement on the young minds … and last but not the least how important is this segment to marketers like us and how best we can connect with them.So, lets sit back and appreciate the agony and ecstasy of their childhood!!!Note : Please refer to the Bibliography word document attached (n) ( bibliography.doc)

What are little boys made of ?Slugs and snailsAnd puppy dog’s tailThat’s what little boys are made of…

What are little girls made of?Sugar and spiceAnd all things niceThat’s what little girls are made of...

2Is this really what today’s kids are made of?

According to a research conducted by Cartoon Network, little children are little no more(1)… there is lot more to them than their stereotype cute image.

3And here’s what little kids think of themselves today.

Transformation into

little men and

little women

4Take a look at them and their eyes will tell you they are very aware and alert about what happening around them.

You speak to them and they will tell how bright and intelligent they are. They will have knowledge on various subjects … rattle things which are much beyond their age.And as you spend more time with them, you will realise that they are discerning and assertive. They have their own mind and they assert their thinking whether it means what they want to eat, wear or go … they have the last word in many issues, which typically do not fall in their concern area.Yes, the millennium kid is an independent individual, expressing his own needs and desires (2). He is treated by the household as an individual- an individual who has a say in the household!!!

TVC : LeSancy soap

5Change is the only constant in life.

Yet, this very change is impacting the kids in a big way. The way they look, play, work, think, dream... It has changed the way the child views the world!

The changing scenario

• Parenting style

• Media environment

• Technological advancement

6There is a sea change in the input received by the kids making them what they are today:

- in way of change in parenting style- in way of increased exposure to media and technology

Changing

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Changing lifestyle

Parenting Rat Race Child the pivot

• Emergence of the nuclear family

• Building the ‘nest egg’

• The Chinese syndrome : one-is-enough

• Dual working couples

9Parenting today has become a rat race in which they do not want to get left behind. The child is a social statement they make. Their success is measured by (A) how well their child performs and (B) how best they provide for their child vis-à-vis peers.(3)

Let us examine the aspects influencing this behavior. The single most important lifestyle change in India has been the emergence of nuclear family. Increased attention fuelled by soaring aspirations has made the child the pivotal point in the family. With increasing importance of careers for both spouses, couples are postponing having children. They are building their nest egg(4) before the baby’s arrive. This allows parents to demonstrate their increased financial worth by providing more to their treasure child.

Thanks to busy schedules, career mindedness and economic reasons, the chinese syndrome- one is enough (4) is becoming common among young breed of parents. They feel that they rather focus all their attention, time, money and effort on one child than divide it among many children.Hence dual working couples translates into more money to spend but less time in hand. The spending is further fuelled by the guilt of not spending enough time with the children.

Changing mother-child relationship

Maternal mother-’chweet’ child

Friend mother-’precocious’ child

Manager mother- astute kid

10Over the years the mom- child relationship has changed in India. It is no more a top down approach (5) where the mother is the elder the child has to listen to.

The mother is no more the self sacrificing individual but rather a manager who manages the family, without compromising on her individuality. She nurtures her child’s personality. She creates and maintains the family harmony, conducive to the child’s development. She talks to her children a one to one level - as a friend, a playmate, a confidante and a smart pr9oblem solver.

She is strict in the core but indulges in the peripheral areas (5). In many a matters the child has the last say - something unheard of in yester years!

Changing face of the father

• From hierarchy to mutuality

• From ‘token dad’ to ‘active dad’-picture increasingly incomplete without the dad

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If a woman can partner a man in the role of being a bread winner, so can a man partner his wife in the role of bringing up children! Yes, today the Indian man has discovered the new facets of being a father.He is no more a person who brings goodies home or someone to be terrorised or “Wait till your father comes - I will tell him what you were up to…”

He has started taking keen interest in his child’s development. He enjoys his fatherhood and gives special attention to the child - something unheard of in earlier days where fathers were not expected to be seen cuddling their kids.

Changing attitude to upbringing

From ‘palnaa* to ‘paalnaa** = more involvement

= more investment

= more indulgence;

The have-it-give-it style of living

emanating from the belief -

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The approach to up bringing is not what it used to be. Today parenting is serious business in which lot of thought, energy and hard work goes in. Parents are very conscious of their role and they will do any thing for their child’s wellbeing It translates into more involvement, more investments and more indulgence - coming short of being obsessive parenting.

Parents believe that input is equal to output (6). Hence, they believe that the more they provide, the more they expose their kids to new things, the better would be the child’s personality and more will be the achievements.* kids grow up on their own without any special attention** very involved and conscious parenting

And what does all this lead to...

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Programmed to win

Highly regimental routine

Multifaceted personality

Stressed outchildhood

14It is not unusual to hear of a child acting in a robotic fashion, tuned to the tick of the clock. Every moment to be spent fruitfully that adds value to the future…not frittered away having plain and simple fun…Yes, who says that pressure to perform, success and stress are adult phenomenon.

The parenting rat race has resulted in regimentation of the child’s life just like that of an armed cadet. The highly achievement oriented society and the high expectations of parents has led to creation of multifaceted personality but at cost of a stressed out childhood.

Sky is the limit

• Setting limits, no longer a parenting prerogative

• Top down approach outdated; constant bargaining - the order of the day

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If yesterdays parenting was about setting limits, drawing boundaries and protection from the big bad world, than today’s parenting is about redefining boundaries, exposing them to the outside world, giving them many choices much early in life (7)…

The stereotype of parent child conflict for control has vanished. The authoritarian style has finer way to democratic style of decision making.

Parents are reveling in the change, watching with pride and joy - quote and unquote ‘growing up’ of their children, taking pleasure in the transfer of control and empathizing with their children’s needs and demands placed on them.

16Indoors has become as much of an active world as outdoors with TV, video games, computer, internet ruling the show. In fact, TV is the only enduring pastime across age groups(8).

The four Cs dominate the world of entertainment for kids are cinema, cartoon, cricket and computers.

Media influence

“The human mind is like a blank slate, accumulating experiences that he lp s them shape their personality”

17Don’t be surprised if your little one knows more than you do…

Media explosion has exploded the young innocent minds. It has become a window to a world, the kids were denied entry into. Kids are exposed to all kind of information/entertainment which is much beyond their age and comprehension (9). Their rapidly growing mind absorbs the rapidity of change in the environment much faster and easily.Though it makes them more aware, knowledgeable but a lot is consumed which is not understood. And what does it all amount to - loss of innocence, being mature much before their age (10).

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The virtual world

• New technology being accepted quite naturally and at much faster speed

• The world of play expanded to include the machinery of adult life; used as they would have used things in their games

19Computer keyboard, typing, enter, hard disk, floppy, internet, surfing, email, website, cyber café…are common words in the millennium kid’s dictionary(11).

Today’s kid is tech-savvy, adopting new technology rapidly.Computer games have entered the upper SEC’s homes in a big way. Whether it is motorcycle racing or airplane fighting, or violent games like Doom, Mortal Combat, the kids are glued to their chair, with eyes fixed on the screen and fingers moving effortlessly on the key board.(12)

Sometimes one wonders that TV and computers have stolen hours of carefree childhood spent out in the open, under the blue sky with gay abandon.

The know-it-seen-it-all generation

Thanks to obsessive parenting and

increased exposure, the millennium

kid had overnight matured into

little men and little women

20Conscious of fashion, their status and finally themselves, the millennium kids are leading a competitive and stressful life just like any other adult.

Children are stepping into the adult mode of thinking, feeling and acting.Today the buzz word amongst parents is ‘preparing for the future’. Whether it is work or play, somewhere it has to fit in the future game plan. A hobby is no more a hobby but yet another avenue to explore as future careers. Parents pushing their child into the competitive world much too early in life.

And what’s more, TV and computers have created an information overload. Statistics highlight that viewership of adult programmes by kids is higher, in absence of good programmes for kids. The child is exposed to lots more - much more than his young brain can comprehend. After all it is not his age to look at the dark side of life such as poverty, wars, household dramas and infidelity issues(13).

This kind of consciousness, exposure and maturity has transformed then into little men and little women.

TVC : Fanta

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Self consciousHow do I look?

What am I wearing?

Am I wearing the latest fashion?

Am I being noticed?

What are the latest brands of clothes ,

shoes and accessories available?

An expression of their individuality

Keeping in touch with reality22

Gone are the days when children were happy wearing whatever their mothers gave them. Gone are the days when children were least interested, least bothered, least conscious of how they looked, what they wore, what others thought of them.

At this tender age you will be surprised to know how aware and conscious they are about their appearance. They know exactly what style to buy, what colour will look good and what’s the latest fashion. They decide what they wear, not their mothers(14).

There is literally a fashion revolution happening among this age group thanks to the media hype generated by the Miss Universe and Miss World. What’s more, international brands like Benetton, Osh-Kosh B’gosh, Adidas, Weekender (15)have given them the global look that they aspire of.

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Status consciousAm I ahead of Vicky in class?

Have I got 98% in science, 2%more?

Am I the class monitor?

Did I beat Vicky in tennis?

Does he have the new game that I have recently bought?

Am I more popular and successful ?

I must have the same Benetton shirt that

Vicky wears...

Keeping-up-with-the Vickys a strong

driver influencing attitude and

behavior

24It’s the cascading effect in action. After all, the children are what they are due to their parents. From parents to children, the attitude of comparison and status conscious percolates down. Education, money and personality advantage is used for one-upmanship.

Today ‘second’ does not exist in the parent-child dictionary(16). They want to be ahead in every thing they do - how they look, what they wear, how successful they are in their studies, hobbies, how popular they are among peers … they are in the rat race to prove themselves in the society.

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The brand smart

Child

Identification Separation

Brand

A symbol that satisfies the self and status conscious state

26The kids are the true product of consumerism. Exposed to plethora of brands and advertising, they are very aware and conscious of the brand(17). Accustomed to many choices having a mind of their own, they are not confused consumers.

They are conscious of their individuality and want brands to assert it. They want the brand that satisfies both their need for identification and separation. Brands consumed matter as much to the parent, not only to keep with the others but also to make sure that the child belongs to his peer group and does not feel any sense of deprivation(18).

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Think big

• Not constraint driven, more forward looking

• Want to achieve big things in life; much bigger than what their parents were able to do

28Bright, unassuming and uninhibited is the millennium kid. Sky is the limit for him. He thinks big. His aspirations are fuelled by the spirit of competitiveness - he aspires to get ahead in life - achieve much more than his parents. For him, anything and everything is possible(19) - right from becoming doctor to cricketer to Miss Universe...and he is serious about what he does!

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“Being consumer is an adult thing to do and children rush

to be adults”

- ‘Kids as Kustomers’

by James U McNeal

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True product of consumerism

The I-Me-Mine generation wants

more and more...

...fuelling consumerism

31From being the progeny of customers, kids have become customers in their own right. The master of the market place, having wants, money to spend, making marketing effort worthwhile(20).

Today’s kid is an increasingly self reliant youngster - pretty savvy as a consumer, discerning, materialistic, willing to substitute parents as shoppers

Pester power unleashed

Primary mktMoney spend by kids

Influence mktpurchase influenced by

kids

Future mktKid as a potential lifetime consumer

Children’s money = parent’s money = all discretionary

32Post liberalisatiion, the change in the Indian values from We to Me and from saving to spending has been completely internalized by this generation(21). It is something that they take as given and do not once bat an eyelid while demanding or spending.

Not only do kid’s have their own money to spend but have parent’s money to be influenced into purchase which is entirely discretionary - right from Rs10 for a chocolate to Rs 50,000 for a computer. Today children have a say in every household decision, making the kids market a huge potential multi-dimensional market.Kids are easiest to entice and manipulate who have the power to blackmail their parents into succumbing to their wishes. Money is not an issue as parents are more indulgent and materialistic themselves(22).

According to market figures, children for example influence 41% of the Rs 362 crores toys market, 65% of Rs. 642 crores toothpaste market to 60% of Rs. 732 crores candies market (22)..

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Ad AddictedFuelled by

- shortened attention span

- love for entertainment,

- desire to know about new exciting

things in the market

-

Advertisers’ pet - the key influencers

in the family34

Thanks to their short attention span, advertisements are a source of enticing entertainment for the kids. They introduce them to the wonderland of goodies and new things in the market place.

The information in these messages linked with greater information gathered during store visits adds to their want list. It further fuels their power as the key influencer in the family - making them advertiser’s pet(23).

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No child’s play

“Children are the most difficult of all markets to understand,

If they are difficult to understand

they are difficult to satisfy,

and if they are difficult to satisfy

it is difficult to get that share of income,

that no other segment has a larger share ear marked as discretionary.”

- Kids as Kustomers

James U McNeal

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As communicators, how do we

make advertising

connect to

kids ...

37How can communication resolve the gap between mental maturity and the chronological age? How do we resolve the issue of ‘premature maturity’ that is unique to this generation? How can we talk to them?

After all kids will be kids will be kids and yet do not want to be treated like kids anymore. They do not want to be cootchie-cooed anymore.How do we treat them like adults and yet not forget their imaginative world of child fantasy.

Talk to the

‘Adult in the Child’

38Can communication breakout of the stereotype cute image of the child…

Can communication tread on the fine balance of being on the same wavelength as their mental maturity without forgetting their chronological age(24)...

Can communication respect their independent mind which has the intelligence to take its own decision..

Can communication acknowledge and feed their need to express their individuality...Can communication talk to the ‘adult in the child’ that yearn to break out of his cute kiddy mould, without forgetting that they are still kids physically, mentally and emotionally...

Lets see how

being like adults

translates for the child...

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“Adults can do what they want”

Kids fantasize about being old as

adults and much more independent

because they are dependant on

authority figures

41With their lives being dictated by teachers and parents, the kids want to escape into the fantasy world of being adult. Playing self created games like teacher-teacher, doctor-doctor, exemplifies this desire. They idealise their older brother, parents, teacher, the big boy in the lane and they imitate them to the hilt.

Hero worship is big business. Star struck, they are willing to drink Boost because it will make them like Sachin or drink Coke just because it brings them closer to their moviestar - Hrithik Roshan.

“Adults make things happen”

Kids fantasize about power and

achievement because there are

constantly feeling powerless in an

adult competent world

42Another aspect of being adult that that lets with kids having control and having the power to make things happen your own way.

“Adults are in control”

• Feeling intellectually clever : Not learning but knowing; impressing friends and family

• Mastering a skill : Especially computers or sports

• Winning : Overcoming an obstacle to do so; got to earn it.

43Today just like adults kids want to experience the thrill of being intellectually ahead of their peers. Winning is the buzzword of this millennium. It is passe to just know or learn. Everything in life is equated to winning or losing. There seem to be no grey area.

Like adults they want to enter into the game of life early, experience the thrill of mastering, winning and proving the point. They want to be in control and taste success.

“Adults are liked by others”

A general fear of isolation and a

need for belonging cuts across

all age groups.

44Kids are no more a homogeneous group but very conscious of their individuality. At one end they want to stand apart and at the other want to belong, just like teens and adults. They seek brands which help bridge this need to be socially accepted.

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“Adults have their own stuff’”

Kids come to the world with nothing

and need to acquire tangible

evidence of their own to feel secure

46Ownership gives a sense of security, whether its for adults or children. It gives a feeling of one-up manship and pride. Nothing sells more than offering the kids an opportunity to collect and hoard, fulfilling their desire to own!

Success behind freebies and collectibles is directly related to precious possessions that kids want to hoard. For example, McDonald’s Happy Meal Scheme offered Hot wheels cars week after week to tempt the kids to keep coming back, Mattel sustained interest in Barbie doll by creating a whole paraphernalia of accessories.

All this tempts, cajoles and entices the kids to keep coming back and expanding their collection...making them feel like little adults!

In action47

“ No more can we treat kids as sweet young things with

no individuality.

With the emergence

of the millennium kid as a new individual,

they need to be treated

as mature individuals

with mind of their own”48

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