Toon stuff: It ain't no child's play!

There is a plethora of characters that kids today see on television, and they want to be closely associated with their favourite characters. To help them there is a wide variety of merchandising options available

Surbhi Chawla | Delhi | January 11, 2012

Reaching out to the toddlers is no easy task. Be it the two-year-olds or the ones that are just about ready to enter their teens, kids of today are confident, aware and have a mind of their own. This is also reflected in their choice of clothing and the kind of toys or stationary that they are picking up. They have an eye for trends along with a clear vision of how they want to be projected, and they keep these things in mind while choosing what to put in their shopping carts.

For a marketer this situation may appear to be challenging at first glance, but it also offers ample opportunities because they have a customer base which is well informed and willing to buy if he or she gets the right thing.

Interestingly, over the last few years, there has been a dramatic change in the overall Indian merchandising market. Merchandising today has transformed into the global arena, providing an array of international and local brands to choose from. There has been a healthy rise of various kinds of merchandising in every product category. The children's entertainment market is gaining momentum at a steady rate, and apart from prime television when it comes to appealing to kids, merchandising is one of the powerful tools to connect with them and make their relationship even stronger.

Characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Ariel, Batman, Spiderman, Superman, He-Man and even Shaktimaan have been quite popular among kids even in the past, and with an increase in the number of programmes and channels, the choices too have grown manifold. Currently, characters that are resonating with kids are Hannah Montana, Pokemon, Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, Dora the Explorer, Ninja Hattori, and Oggy and the Cockroaches, to name a few. Also, Bollywood superheroes such as Krrish and Ra1 too were able to make their presence felt. So, there is no denying the fact that there are options aplenty for the kids to choose from. Even from a marketer's perspective these are exciting times to be in.

Talking about the current trends, Gaurav Brar, Director, Cartoon Network Enterprises, said, “We see growth potential fuelled by increased product availability, creating awareness of merchandising products and, most importantly, building demand and loyalty for branded cartoon character merchandise. For example, kids are well aware that 'Back to School' range of products are available for all school gear starting from basic stationary to school bags to raincoats. What increases the demand for these products is the fact that they are branded with kids' favourite cartoons like Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, etc. These branded merchandise make kids feel like they own a small but valuable part of their toon stars.”

Sandeep Dahiya. Senior VP - Consumer Products & Communication, agrees. “The merchandising market in India has been doing quite well over the past couple of years and the kids segment is shaping up quite well in India.”

Another interesting concept that is driving growth of such merchandise, especially in the SEC A and B towns, are kid theme parties. Birthdays and other kids celebrations are being organised keeping in mind a relatable character. For example, in a Spiderman theme party, the entire venue is designed in tune with Spiderman posters, banner and even accessories. To further enhance the effect, the party members are also served in cutlery that have pictures of Spiderman.  Additionally, the return gifts too will either have stationary or comics of Spiderman. Even activities at the party will gel with what a Spiderman does to make the theme come alive. Right from the goodie bag to the cake, everything will have a 'Spider effect'.

Though the Indian market has evolved quite a bit especially in the last few years, it still is no match to the trends in the international market. “In the international space, merchandising for kids has been a huge success story. However, India is still in its emerging stage. The main focus for international broadcasters and licensors like Cartoon Network Enterprises has been to realign their marketing and promotional strategies to suit the Indian mindset so as to build consumer awareness and loyalty for quality branded merchandise and to cut through the dominance of the grey market,” explained Brar.

Talking about challenges, Dahiya said, “The challenges for the merchandising market in India are firstly, about 93 to 95 per cent of the market even today continues to be unorganised. However, things have started to change especially over the last four or five years. The second is that the industry itself is in quite a nascent stage and evolving. The third challenge is piracy or counterfeits.”

Even so, there is no denying that there is immense potential that lies untapped in this segment. If marketers play their cards well in terms of reaching out in an effective manner to their TG – making products available at the right place at appropriate prices – there will be no looking back for this industry. Given the amount of piracy that currently prevails in this segment, pricing and availability would definitely be two main factors that marketers would have to keep a keen eye if they want to grow steadily in this space.

Surbhi@BestMediaInfo.com

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